


We Can Always Come Back To This

by fightingsumdemons



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, F/M, Forgiveness, Happy Ending, Romance, Teen Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 67,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27229069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fightingsumdemons/pseuds/fightingsumdemons
Summary: Bonnie Bennett just wanted to enjoy her senior year with her boyfriend and friends, until one day turned everything upside down and she ran away from everything. 3 and a half years later, she's back in town and is determined to keep her return a secret. | Damon Salvatore thought he'd finally found love again, until she ran out with no explanation. Her return to town has him spinning out, until he starts to uncover secrets from the past.
Relationships: Alaric Saltzman/Jenna Sommers, Bonnie Bennett/Damon Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett/Malachai "Kai" Parker (past), Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Caroline Forbes/Matt Donovan (past), Caroline Forbes/Tyler Lockwood, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Jeremy Gilbert/Annabelle "Anna" Zhu
Comments: 21
Kudos: 62





	1. 1. Bonnie, is this your daughter?

**Author's Note:**

> CRUCIAL INFORMATION
> 
> \- SHIPS: Mainly Bamon, with some Stelena. Caroline shippers, there will be some minor Forwood, Maroline in flashbacks and a sprinkle of Klaroline at the end of the story. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. 
> 
> \- I am not American, the closest I have ever been to Virginia is three days in SC, visiting family. I have been using the Internet to fill in any smaller details to capture Southern (?? idk what to call it) culture but there still may be some inaccuracies. 
> 
> \- IMPORTANT: Story takes place in 2013 (it will say present day as well, just to distinguish between flashbacks), includes Bonnie AND Damon's POV in present time AND in the past.
> 
> \- New chapter will be posted every friday!
> 
> \- Story name is based off a song by Brian Tyree Henry, from the show "This Is Us" (would 100% recommend). I will be posting a playlist for each chapter, but if you'd rather not go through the motions of setting that up; the song "we can always come back to this" is more than good enough to capture the emotions of this story.
> 
> \- I am no seasoned writer, I am an amateur and this is my first actual completed fanfic.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, or the characters. 
> 
> ....let's face it though, any of us could've done a better job than julie plec

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:   
> \- We can always come back to this by Hannah Miller (Bonnie’s present POV)  
> \- Paparazzi by Lady Gaga (Bonnie’s flashbacks)  
> \- Unfair by 6lack (Damon’s present POV)  
> \- Sinnerman, cover by Tom Ellis (Damon’s flashbacks)

Bonnie watches the Mystic Falls Welcome Sign pass by, the feeling of dread expanding in her stomach, tapping her foot anxiously on the floor of the car. She shifts in her seat, turning her head to check on a sleeping Lila, letting out a shaky sigh.

“Cuz, I don’t know whether I should turn back ‘round or keep driving,” Lucy jokes lightly, giving Bonnie a warm smile but she only gives a tense smile back. Lucy let out a little sigh, reaching over to give Bonnie’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Bon, everything will be okay. It’s just a month, it’ll pass by like nothing! Plus, your dad and friends have probably been missing you alot. It’s been three and a half years, I bet they’ve been dying to see you. Then you can come back, get some chilli dogs from The Varsity and listen to Chloe’s horror dating stories.”

Lucy grins, and Bonnie laughs, feeling some of the pressure lift from her chest. “Ugh, I already miss Chloe. I can already hear her voice telling me how I should announce my return to Mystic Falls.”

“And time will go by quickly, then you’ll be back with us. The weeks will fly by, Bon and it’ll feel like nothing. Go hang out with your friends, take Lila out for some fun day trips and then you can listen to Aunt Emily rant about The Bachelor.”

“I just wish you could stay,” Bonnie frowns, but Lucy just shakes her head with a chuckle.

“As much as I’d like to meet everyone, I will be happy with the daily phone calls.”

Bonnie grins, looking back out the window and swallowing at the neighbourhoods and occasional stores that started to pop up instead of the lush pine trees. It only made her stomach churn even more, realizing that she was actually back in Mystic Falls. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this sick, life in Atlanta had been so simple, hanging out with Lucy and her friends, attending university. Even balancing Lila and school hadn’t been that difficult so far, with the support she’d had from Aunt Emily and Lucy. Escaping the drama of Mystic Falls had felt like a breath of fresh air, and being able to focus only on her and Lila had been rewarding.

Lucy finally turns onto her street, and Bonnie shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She’s excited to finally see her dad again, but being home again really means that she’s back. Lucy pulls into the driveway, parking the car and Bonnie gazes up at the house. It still looked the same, with the yellow paint and white shutters; the only difference is some new furniture on the porch and the front garden had a couple more flowerbeds.

“Mommy, are we here?” Lila says groggily, her voice shaking Bonnie out of her thoughts.

“Yeah baby, we’re at Grandpa’s. Mommy’s coming to unbuckle you,” Bonnie hops out of the car, walking to the other side and unbuckles Lila from her carseat, setting her down on the driveway. “Lila, can you go ring the doorbell for me and Lucy? Grandpa probably has some treats for you,” Bonnie suggests with a smile, watching Lila run to the door with a big grin, clutching her doll under her arm. Bonnie walks to the trunk where Lucy was unpacking the bags, helping her pull them out onto the driveway.

“So, this is it, huh?” Lucy asks, glancing at the house.

“Yup. It feels so different now, like it’s the same but something’s changed,” Bonnie answers thoughtfully, and Lucy gives her a smile.

“Maybe it’s just you that’s changed.”

“There’s my favourite girl!” her dad’s voice booms loudly and Bonnie can hear Lila giggling. “Where’s your mom?”

Bonnie sees him descend the porch steps, holding an excited Lila in his arms and he grins at the sight of Lucy and Bonnie.

“Hey Uncle Rudy,” Lucy greets him, finally shutting the car trunk and Rudy sets Lila down.

“Here, let me help you guys with the bags. Lila, honey, you can go inside. Grandpa got all your favourite snacks,” Rudy says, and Lila lets out a joyful yell, walking back up to the house. Lucy follows her, carrying a bunch of suitcases and duffel bags inside.

“Hi Dad,” Bonnie says, giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

“Hey Bonnie, how was the drive? Lila wasn’t too cranky or energetic?”

“No, she was fine. I got an audiobook CD, so she wasn’t too bad. I was worried the drive would be too long and she’d get carsick, but she was okay. She slept for a couple hours, so I’m pretty sure she’s ready to run around.”

Rudy had gone to Atlanta to visit Bonnie several times, he’d even stayed there during the last couple months of her pregnancy; he always doted on Lila and offered to help Bonnie however he could, which had been a welcome but slightly shocking change after years of being distant and feeling ignored. They carry the rest of the luggage inside, dropping it in the front sitting room and heading to the TV room where Lila is looking around curiously, and Lucy is resting on the couch. Bonnie grabs a bag of grapes from the fridge for Lila, putting it into a bowl and watches with amusement as Lila circles her like a shark, sitting down beside Lucy and shifting to let Lila sit on her lap.

“Did you want something to drink, Lucy? Something to eat as well?” Rudy offers, but Lucy shakes her head.  
“I’m good, thanks Uncle Rudy. I won’t stay for long, I have work tomorrow so I’ll be back on the road soon enough,” Lucy explains, but he waves her off with a smile.

“It’s fine, Lucy. I can’t thank you and Emily enough for taking in Bonnie. It has meant the world to us, and I know Lila loves it with you guys,” Rudy says sincerely.

“Please, Uncle Rudy, it was no trouble. We loved having Lila and Bonnie around. Do you like hanging out with me and Aunt Emily, Lila?” Lucy turns to Lila, and Lila’s big blue eyes widens with mischief.

“That’s a secret, Aunt Lucy,” she replies slyly, and Lucy tickles her belly, eliciting a little shriek of laughter from Lila as she wriggles in Bonnie’s lap.

“I’ll drive Bonnie back at the end of the month, you don’t need to worry,” Rudy offers, and Lucy glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Thanks, Rudy. I should get going now too, I suspect I might run into some traffic,” Lucy stands up, brushing her jeans, “Lila, honey, come give Aunt Lucy a hug.”

Lila stands up on the couch, reaching out to wrap her tiny arms around Lucy and presses a small kiss against Lucy’s cheek.

“Bye Aunt Lucy,” Lila’s muffled voice says, and Lucy smiles, pulling back and brushing her hair.

They all walk to the front door, and Bonnie feels a tug of sadness in her heart. Lucy has always been her constant companion, her rock throughout the years and has always felt like a big sister to her. It’s going to feel weird not having her around. Lucy turns to her, a sad smile on her face and Bonnie blinks back tears, giving her a bittersweet grin, reaching forward to give her a hug.

“Bye cuz. I expect daily calls from you, okay? I’ll see you soon enough, and I can always drive down to Mystic Falls if you need me to bitchslap someone,” Lucy whispers, and Bonnie burst out into laughter.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Bonnie admits, stepping back and Lucy smiles sadly. She turns to Rudy, giving him a quick hug.

“Bye Uncle Rudy,” she gives them a little wave and walks out the door, shutting it behind her. Bonnie watches her retreating figure, a sinking feeling in her stomach and hears Lila run back to the TV room. Her dad comes up beside her, giving her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder and a gentle smile.

“Do you want to go unpack, get settled? Maybe call your friends, see if they want to hang out?”

“No, I mean I’ll unpack but I should stay and help Lila settle in too, we could have pasta and I know Lila will throw a tantrum without her favourite plate and cup, so I should make sure--”

“Bonnie, there’s no need to stay. Go upstairs, go unpack and call Caroline or someone. I can handle Lila, plus all the bags are marked,” he tells her firmly, and she gives him a hesitant smile.

“Okay, okay, you’re right. I’ll unpack my clothes and call them. Thanks Dad, you’re the best,” Bonnie gives him a kiss on the cheek, grabbing her suitcases and bound up to her room.

Bonnie opens her bedroom door, examining the small room and the light yellow walls. She’d stripped the room bare when she’d left, taking practically all her belongings with her. Her dad had clearly cleaned it, there was new linen sitting on the bed and she could tell that he’d dusted her shelves and desk. It felt weird being in this room, it felt so foreign to her and it was more of a reminder of her high school self, a relic of the past. She plops her luggage on the bed, unzipping them and putting her clothes away with one hand as she pulls out her phone and calls Caroline.

“Bonnie Bennett, you better be calling because you are in Mystic Falls,” Caroline says sternly through the phone, and a grin spreads across her face.

“I’m in my old room unpacking right now, Care,” Bonnie winces slightly at Caroline’s squeal, laughing a little at her excitement.

“I’m so happy you’re back! It’s been forever since I’ve really seen you, omigod I’m so excited! It’ll be just like old times, and I can’t wait to see Lila! She’s probably gotten so big. Okay, we have to meet up at the Grille tonight. I know Matt is off tonight, Tyler is working but we can still meet up!” Caroline exclaims excitedly, and Bonnie bites her lip apprehensively. She’s a little unsure about going to the Grille considering how popular it is, but she can hear how happy Caroline is and her excitement feels infectious even through the phone.

“I’ll be there, and tell Matt I can’t wait to see him too.”

“Yay! Bonnie, I cannot wait to see you. I’ll pay for drinks, don’t even worry about it and we’ll meet in two hours there. I’m so excited! I need to get ready, bye!”

Bonnie can’t help but chuckle as she hangs up the phone, continuing to unpack all her clothes.  
Caroline was her biggest cheerleader throughout the pregnancy, she’d always been available to talk with Bonnie. She loves being Auntie Care, has come down to Atlanta several times to hang out with her and Lila, never letting their friendship be fractured by distance or their busy lives. She takes out some of her socks, pulling open the drawers under her bed and freezes at the photograph inside.

She picks it up gingerly, examining her smiling face and his smirk as they pose together. It was when they attended one of those stupid Decade Dances, she could still remember the way they danced together and the way his eyes had burned into hers. She can’t help but examine his face in the photo, the sharp contours of his face and the same piercing blue eyes. For a moment she wonders if he still looks the same, if the past couple years have changed him at all but quickly crumples the photo and scolds herself for being an idiot.

**AUGUST 2007**

Bonnie couldn’t ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she sauntered down to the Lockwood swimming hole, crossing her arms around her bikini top consciously as more and more people appeared. She just wanted to find Elena or Caroline so she could finally relax, maybe get a beer and cheer alongside her friends when people would do a flip into the water. She reached the shore of the watering hole, weaving through people when she saw Matt at a keg, solo cup in hand.

“Matt, hey!” Bonnie said, relieved to finally have found someone and Matt gave her a smile.

“Hey, did you want a drink?” Matt asked, gesturing to the kegger and she nodded.

“Have you seen, uh Caroline around?” she asked awkwardly, watching Matt’s smile tremble for a second. Him and Elena’s breakup had happened a couple months ago, but she knew that it was still pretty painful for him.

“Um, I saw her earlier talking to Aimee but now I’m not sure,” Matt replied, scratching his neck thoughtfully and Bonnie gave him a small smile, taking her beer from him and taking a swig of it.

“Okay, I’m going to go look for her. I’ll see you around, Matty,” Bonnie said, and he gave her a little wave as she walked back into the crowds once more. She walked closer to the edge of the swimming hole, squinting at the people in the water to see if Caroline was in there when someone jumped her from behind.

“Oh my god! Elena, don’t do that!” Elena laughed at Bonnie’s terrified expression, taking her hair out of a ponytail and adjusting her red bikini top.

“Sorry! Where’d you get the beer?”

“Matt gave it to me, he might still be around the keg I went to,” Bonnie said apologetically, and Elena grimaced slightly.

“He texted me this morning, asking if I was coming.”

“Did you respond?”

“No...I don’t want to give him any ideas. I feel like I get a text every week, I’m not about to encourage them. It’s been three months, he needs to get it through his head that we’re over, let the idea sink in,” Elena said firmly, and Bonnie nodded.

“Good for you.”

“I really want some beer, though.” Bonnie laughed, linking their arms together.

“Maybe we can find another keg? There was only one near Matt,” Bonnie suggested, and they both walked off, slipping past people and occasionally watching people do flips into the water. They finally reached another keg, groaning slightly at the line but begrudgingly decided to wait; they talked quietly, almost at the front and the guy in front of them suddenly turned around, bumping into Elena.

“Sorry,” he said apologetically with a smile, and Elena looked flustered for a moment before giving him a sweet smile.

“It’s no problem, don’t worry about it...I haven’t seen you around before, are you new to town?” Elena asked casually, moving up to get her beer and watching the guy with interested eyes.

“Kind of. My name’s Stefan Salvatore, I used to live here but I moved when I was eight. Do you guys go to Mystic Falls High School?” Stefan replied, looking at the both of them but lingering on Elena.

“Yeah, we’re sophomores this year. What about you?” Elena smiled, and Bonnie scratched her arm thoughtfully, trying to remember why Salvatore sounded so familiar.

“I’m a sophomore too.”

“Wait! Your family owns ghost manor, right?” Bonnie blurted out, her face reddening at her lack of tact but Stefan laughed.

“Technically we live there now, and I assure you, it’s much creepier inside,” he joked, and Elena giggled; they moved away from the keg line, Elena and Stefan still smiling at each other when Tyler ran over.

“Stefan, hey! I see you met Elena and Bonnie,” Tyler said, nodding at the girls with a football in hand.

“Yeah, how do you know each other?” he asked, glancing at Elena.

“We’ve known each other since kindergarten, Elena’s family is part of the Founding Families too,” Tyler explained, and Elena perked up at the mention of Founding Families.

“You’re part of them too?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve never been though. I’ll probably need a guide,” Stefan remarked, staring at Elena intently and Tyler frowned, looking between them.

“Stefan, me and some of the guys were going to play football. You gotta join us,” Tyler said, clapping his shoulder.

“Yeah, sure, I’m in. I’ll see you guys around,” Stefan smiled at both of them, walking off with Tyler; Elena gave him a little wave and grin, inciting a giggle from Bonnie who bumped her hip, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“What?” Elena asked innocently, her eyes widening with false naivete and Bonnie laughed.

“You know what! Even Tyler caught on, he was totally into you.”

“No, I mean...do you really think so? He was so hot, his eyes were so green and he was ripped, did you see?! I can’t believe he lives in ghost manor, we thought it was abandoned for years,” Bonnie giggled at Elena’s rant.

“You should find him later, without Tyler or Matt interference. I can cover for you,” Bonnie winked, and Elena giggled, her cheeks reddening.

“Omigod, there you guys are!” a voice screeched, and Bonnie and Elena turned to see Caroline stomping over to them.

“Hey Care, sorry, we were talking to Tyler and the new guy,” Bonnie explained, and Caroline’s jaw dropped.

“You managed to talk to Damon Salvatore?!” she exclaimed, and Elena and Bonnie exchanged confused looks.

“No, we were talking to Stefan Salvatore. Green eyes, super cute, brown hair, black swimming trunks?” Elena answered, and Caroline let out a little gasp.

“There’s two of them?!”

“Caroline, who’s Damon?” Bonnie asked patiently, and Caroline suddenly had a dreamy expression on her face.

“The hottest guy in Mystic Falls right now. He’s a senior, and he has these amazing blue eyes that just look like they’re staring right into your soul, black hair that you just want to run your fingers through, with this amazing chiseled face. He has this mysterious loner vibe, omigod, all the girls are freaking out! You guys have to see him,” Caroline tugged their arms, pulling them back in the direction that Tyler and Stefan had gone.

“He can’t be that hot, Care. I mean, Stefan was pretty hot,” Elena remarked coyly, and Bonnie threw her a mischievous grin.

“I’ve got no doubt that he’s hot too, Elena, but this guy is like a feast for the eyes,” Caroline replied, and Bonnie let out a little laugh at Caroline’s dramatics. They finally stopped, Caroline pulling them into a tight circle and Bonnie noticed a lot of other girls were huddled up in groups around them too.

“Okay, he’s right against the tall tree with the Camaro parked near it, he has--”

“Care, I think we already got the physical description,” Elena said gently, and both girls shifted slightly to get a look at Damon Salvatore.

He was leaning against a tall tree, sipping a beer by himself; Caroline hadn’t been exaggerating, he really was hot and his face remained impassive, sometimes smirking at a passing girl for a second until he resumed his neutral stare. Bonnie could see other girls whispering and giggling, but everyone appeared to be too nervous to approach him.

“Well, you weren’t joking, he is hot,” Elena commented, looking back at Caroline who smiled triumphantly and tossed a quick glance at him.

“I checked his MySpace already, and there’s a couple photos of him with girls but he appears to be single,” Caroline explained excitedly.

“He seems pretty aware that girls are checking him out,” Elena remarked, and Bonnie chuckled, finishing off the last of her beer.

“Whatever, I’d rather not get into any catfights. Can we go watch some flips or something?”

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Bonnie’s sitting at the bar of the Mystic Grille, her leg bouncing nervously under the counter as she plays with the straw of her drink nervously. She occasionally tosses a quick glance at the entrance for a sign of Caroline and Matt, but mostly kept her head down in the hopes that she wouldn’t run into a classmate from high school. She’d rather not endure questions about her whereabouts, or why her and the hottest guy from high school weren’t a thing anymore.

She looks back at the entrance again nervously, brightening when she sees Caroline and Matt walk in and she waves them over. Caroline squeals, running towards Bonnie and crashing into her with a big hug. She’d seen Caroline at Christmas, but she looks different every time she sees her. Her hair is in soft waves, even her outfit looks more elegant but she still has the same fruity perfume scent. Caroline pulls back, beaming and Matt hugs Bonnie tightly. Bonnie could feel tears springing to her ears, breathing in Matt’s familiar cologne; although Bonnie had called and Skyped him numerous times, he’d never had the money to go and visit her.

“You guys look great! Matty, I swear you look exactly the same as you did when you were seventeen,” Bonnie teases, and Matt grins, running a hand through his hair.

“Thanks, Bon. It’s actually thanks to Caroline, since I’ve been living with Ty and stealing his skincare products. Care has him on a whole routine,” Matt chuckles, and Caroline fake-pouts.

“Hey, I’m just taking care of my boyfriend! Also, is it just me or do we all look way hotter now than we did in high school?” Caroline grins, giving Bonnie a quick hug again. Bonnie laughs, and they all settle into the bar.

“Do you guys want drinks? My treat,” Caroline says, and Matt and Bonnie pull out their IDs as Caroline watches with longing. “I can’t wait until I’m legal, you guys are so lucky.”

“Don’t worry, Care, you can just have some of mine. My tolerance isn’t what it’s used to be since Lila,” Bonnie says, waving the bartender over, “I’ll have a mojito.”

“Whiskey neat for me,” Matt chimes in, both of them flashing their IDs.

“Put it on my tab,” Caroline adds smoothly, and the bartender nods.

“So how’s Lila, Bon? I can’t believe she’s going to be three in a couple weeks, I still remember when you called me and said that you gave birth,” Matt says, and Bonnie let out a little sigh.

“I know...I just can’t believe how big she’s getting. She’s hanging out with Grandpa right now, I’m pretty sure she’s being spoiled with some kind of goodies. Lila’s always been curious, so I think she’s excited to be somewhere new. The furthest I’ve ever really taken her is Myrtle Beach, and I know she’ll be excited to meet Uncle Matty for the first time and see Auntie Care again,” Bonnie winks at Matt, grabbing her mojito from the bartender and taking a sip.

“Is she going to have a birthday party?” Caroline perks up, eyeing Bonnie carefully and Bonnie suppresses a little smile.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure Lila would love a party from Auntie Care.”

“Omigod, yes! I have so many great ideas, I swear Lila will love it. Give me a budget later Bon, and I will work out an amazing birthday party,” Matt and Bonnie let out a little laugh at Caroline’s enthusiasm.

“So, how have you guys been?” Bonnie asks, taking another sip of her drink.

“Good! Living with Tyler has been great, but it’s really weird to walk in on his mom doing her pilates workouts,” Bonnie let out a startled laugh at Matt’s reply, “Vicki’s still settling into her new place, and calls me almost every night. She’s doing an internship too, it’s weird to see her act so professional sometimes.”

“Damn, I still remember when she used to dance on tables at parties,” Bonnie laments dramatically, and Caroline giggles. “Has anything changed since we last talked, Care?”

“It is also super weird to stay with Tyler, go downstairs for breakfast and see a grumpy Matt. I’m super excited for our Europe trip in August, we’re even thinking of going to Verona for the day,” Caroline says, her eyes shining happily. Bonnie looks around, subtly pushing her drink towards Caroline and letting her down the rest; Matt shakes his head disapprovingly, and Caroline rolls her eyes.

“I forgot my mother was with us,” she retorts, and Matt scowls while Bonnie laughs at him.

Matt and Caroline talk more about their lives and how Mystic Falls has changed, and Bonnie is happy to listen. It feels like they were never even apart, and Bonnie knows that they’ve all changed but it’s nice to know that their friendship never has. Bonnie keeps sneaking Caroline her drinks, watching her eyes become brighter and her hand gestures become more exaggerated, and even Matt’s cheeks are turning red and his voice is growing louder with every drink he has. They continue to chat for the next couple hours, and Bonnie has a nice buzz going on, not too tipsy but she’s feeling so content until Caroline pulls out her phone, a smile frozen on her face.

“Everything okay, Care?” Matt asks loudly, slightly slurring his words and Caroline gives Bonnie a nervous look, pushing back her blonde hair.

“Bon...Elena texted me and said they’re on their way here...and she sent the message fifteen minutes ago,” Caroline answers hesitantly, watching Bonnie suck in a nervous breath.

“Um...I need to go, I can’t be here,” Bonnie replies weakly, standing up from her chair and Caroline and Matt stared at her worriedly.

“I’m sorry, Bon, I told her we were hanging out--”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. This was super fun, I’ve missed you guys so much and we have to do this again, hopefully without interference. Remember, don’t say anything,” Bonnie hugs Caroline, and gives Matt a peck on the cheek.

Bonnie runs through the Grille, pushing open the door quickly and fumbling for her keys, walking over to her car. She presses the unlock button, letting out a sigh of relief and slips into her car only to see Stefan and Elena staring at her. Bonnie could see panic written all over Elena’s face, clearly unsure of what to do and Stefan is frozen with shock, his eyes so wide that they look like they’re about to pop and even his jaw is a little agape. Bonnie gulps, doing the only thing that feels necessary; she starts the car, and drives away.

**NOVEMBER 2007**

Bonnie walked into the Mystic Grille, her eyes widening at the decorations that had been put up for Stefan’s party. When she’d heard that Stefan’s father had bought out the Mystic Grille for his birthday, she’d only expected that the service was paid for but there were balloons and decorations thrown around the room. Elena had told her that his father didn’t want a bunch of teenagers coming over and messing up his house, it was still a creepy house so Bonnie didn’t really mind.

“Bonnie! You look amazing!” Caroline squealed, hopping up to her and squeezed her hands happily, pulling her towards the bar.

“You look great too, Care. I love the dress, it suits you,” Bonnie said, and Caroline beamed, smoothing out her pink dress happily.

“Are they serving alcohol here?” Bonnie asked doubtfully, watching Caroline order two Fanta’s.

“No, but I happen to know that Tyler and his friends are hiding flasks in their jackets,” Caroline winked, and handed Bonnie a Fanta. “The drinks are all free though, thank god.”

“Hey guys!” Elena bound up the steps, grinning and spinning around playfully. She tucked her waved hair behind her ear, nervously awaiting their reaction.

“You look great! Stefan is going to be drooling all over you,” Bonnie teased, and Elena giggled bashfully. Elena and Stefan had been talking for months now, toeing the line between friends and something more. Bonnie knew it was bound to happen any day now, maybe even tonight would be the final push.

“Agreed! I do think you look better with curly hair, but just as good,” Caroline added, and Elena gave her a tight smile, looking around the room.

“Where is Stef…?” her words faltered, her face dropping as she looked at the pool tables. Bonnie turned to see Stefan playing pool with a pretty girl with long blonde hair, who currently was laughing and had her hand on his shoulder.

“It’s probably nothing,” Bonnie tried to reassure her.

“If you want, I can go over and ‘accidentally’ spill my drink on her,” Caroline suggested, but Elena just shook her head, looking crestfallen.

“I’ve never seen her before, who is she?” Elena bit her lip, watching them with uncertainty.

“That’s Lexi,” they all jumped at Damon’s voice, “Stefan’s best friend of many years.”

Damon smirked, folding his arms as he watched Elena with a smirk. Bonnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, she’d talked to Damon a couple times now and he was becoming more insufferable every time he opened his mouth. He was still hot, but proving to be a bit of a dick; he’d already developed the reputation of a player among the student female body in school. From what Elena had also mentioned, his relationship with Stefan was pretty strained and he always wanted to find a way to get under her skin.

“Oh, what’s she doing here?” Caroline asked casually, Elena still watching Stefan and Lexi with an anxious expression.

“Just came for Stef’s birthday, she never likes to miss it. It’s like their little thing, their tradition,” Damon answered lightly, but Bonnie could see the malice dancing in his eyes.

“Just go up to him, Elena. They’re probably just friends, Stefan wouldn’t do that to you. If you trust Stefan, then you have nothing to worry about if they’re just friends,” Bonnie said firmly, glaring at Damon and then looked back at Stefan and Lexi. Another guy with dark brown hair came up to Lexi, giving her a kiss on the cheek and handed her a drink. He said something to Stefan, who smiled back and gestured at the pool table with a laugh. Bonnie glanced at Elena, who now looked happy and started walking towards Stefan with renewed energy; Damon looked irritated, and Bonnie couldn’t help but roll her eyes, leading Caroline away from him.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

As per usual, Damon is not having a good day.

After another long day of working at his father’s company, he’s just happy that it’s finally the weekend and won’t have to sit through another lecture on the importance of reputation and responsibility. He’d been forced to take business in university which was fine, it was interesting enough but having to work under his father’s watchful eye was torture. He feels like he’s being treated like a little kid half the time, and Stefan wasn’t getting this kind of treatment, even though his father wanted Stefan to join the company as well. He pours himself a glass of bourbon, plopping down on the couch with a sigh and wondering if he should head to a bar or just stay in when his phone rings. He lets out a huff, praying it isn’t the office calling him and puts the phone to his ear.

“Yes?” he barks impatiently, taking a sip of bourbon.

“Damon?”

“Hello Stefan, how can I assist you?”

“Um...well I have news,” Stefan says nervously, and Damon rolls his eyes; sometimes Stefan could get so dramatic over what was probably nothing.

“Well, spit it out then.”

“I saw Bonnie,” Damon freezes, clutching the phone so tightly as the words repeat over and over in his head.

“What?”

“I saw Bonnie.”

“If this is a joke or something, I swear to god--”

“It’s not. I saw her outside of the Mystic Grille, getting into her car. She was there catching up with Matt and Caroline, she’s back for a bit,” Stefan explains, and Damon feels paralyzed. She’s really back.

“What did she look like?” Damon blurts out, and there was awkward silence on the other end of the phone.

“Uh…”

“Nevermind, forget I said that. I’ll talk to you later,” Damon snaps, automatically hanging up as he slumps on the couch. Bonnie freaking Bennett has finally returned after skipping town all those years ago, after leaving Damon high and dry.

Damon grabs his jacket, walking out the door to head to a bar and find some random girl to go back home with. He doesn’t want to be alone with his thoughts tonight.

**FEBRUARY 2008**

Damon was driving at Rose’s house, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to a T-Pain song, squinting at the snow road ahead and the snowflakes that quickly covered up his windshield. He’s driving slowly, the roads are a little slick and he knows Rose won’t mind; that’s what he likes about her, she doesn’t really have any expectations for him. Both of them are just using the other, but it’ll be the first girl who will still talk to him after their little fling.

He approached the upcoming intersection slowly, noticing a bus stop on the side of the road, a girl standing next to it in a puffy black coat and dark brown hair covered by a red hat. It’s one of Elena’s friends, the tiny one with the serious green eyes. The snow seemed to be falling even faster, and he pulled over to the bus stop; he rolled down the window, watching with a smirk as the girl’s face morphed from confusion to surprise.

“Bonnie, right?” he called, and she eyed him suspiciously, crossing her arms.

“Yeah,” she responded. He was about to do something totally out of character, but it’ll be worth it to see Elena get frazzled and watch Stefan get all protective.

“Get in, I’ll take you home,” he declared plainly, but she just shook her head adamantly.

“No, it’s fine, I’m waiting for the bus. It’ll be here any minute,” she added, and he snorted; everyone knows the busing system in Mystic Falls is shit.

“Because the bus is always so reliable. Come on, get in, I don’t bite,” he gave her an innocent look, unlocking the car doors. She looked doubtful for a moment, but opened the door reluctantly and stepped in the car, buckling herself up.

“Just turn at Maxwell Boulevard. Thanks for driving me,” she replied stiffly, turning to look out the window and he frowned. He’s only talked to her a couple times, albeit in a group and he never thought much of it but he’s starting to get the idea that she doesn’t like him very much.

“How’s school?” he asked, and she whips her head around to give him a disbelieving look, as if she’s surprised that he’s talking to her.

“It’s fine. I bombed my history exam, just barely passed, which might as well be an A considering Mr. Tanner is basically a man-child,” Bonnie remarked, and Damon chuckled softly.

“Stefan told me he’s a tough coach, but I always figured Stefan’s just a wimp,” Damon retorted, and Bonnie scoffed; he glanced at her, noticing she was grinding her teeth lightly.

“You know, I get the feeling that you don’t like me,” Damon admitted, and Bonnie rolled her eyes, giving him a sarcastic smile.

“Well, you have such a sparkling personality, so,” she replied sarcastically, and his eyes narrowed as he drove down the snowy streets.

“Wow, judgey much?” he sniped back, and he heard her huff. They drove the rest of the way in silence, and he could feel her irritation taking up the car, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground. He turned onto Maxwell Boulevard, and she finally perked up.

“I’m number 25, the yellow house,” she told him, and he pulled over to the side of the street. She unbuckled her seatbelt, moving to grab her bag and gave him a strained smile.

“Thanks for driving me,” she said stiffly, and he gave her a snarky smile.

“Bye, judgey,” he called, smirking at her scathing look as she hopped out the car and he turned the car around, going back to Rose.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Damon buttons up his shirt, glaring at the little patches of sunlight that have drifted into his room and he can hear the girl putting on her clothes as well. The memories of last night were hazy, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened.

“Well, that was fun,” the girl says plainly, walking over to look at him and he nods.

“See you around, I guess,” Damon replies.

“Yeah, sure...by the way, I didn’t mind but not every girl is going to appreciate being called a different name. Whoever this ‘Bonnie’ girl is, you might wanna sort things out with her,” the girl advises, walking out of the room and Damon stands there, processing the information. How pathetic, he hasn’t done that in years.

He walks down the stairs, slipping on a pair of sunglasses to avoid the harsh light of the morning sun filtering into the rooms. He stumbles into the kitchen where Elena and Stefan are eating breakfast, and he ignores their amused gazes as he lazily prepares himself breakfast.

“Good morning, Damon,” Stefan exclaims loudly with a stupid grin on his face, and Damon covers his ears while Elena giggles.

“Shh, you’re too loud,” Damon growls half-heartedly, plopping down at the table with a bowl of cereal and Elena grins.

“That’s the point. You should be more careful, Father won’t be happy if he catches you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t see why I can’t have any fun anymore, he’s already ruined work so I’d like to maintain a little spark of joy in my life.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Stefan offers, and Damon rolls his eyes; he could be such a pacifist sometimes, it was infuriating. Or maybe Stefan was just trying to make himself feel better for when he had to work there. Stefan was pretty obedient, Damon bore the brunt of their father’s criticism but he wouldn’t hesitate to lecture them both.

“You just wait and see, Stef. Soon you’ll be hiding in the washrooms with me,” Damon remarks, and Stefan shakes his head with a chuckle.

“So, Elena, what is Bonnie doing back in town?” Damon asks casually, watching Elena freeze and fix Stefan with a murderous glare.

“You told him?!” she hisses, and Stefan looks up from his breakfast, surprised.

“Was I not supposed to?” Stefan inquires curiously, and Damon can see the gears shifting in Elena’s head, clearly contemplating something and she just sighs.

“No, I guess not,” she answers quietly, stirring her spoon around in her cereal but Damon isn’t done with the interrogation yet.

“So, why is she back?” he asks through a mouthful of cereal, and Elena eyes him suspiciously.

“She’s visiting her dad.”

“I heard she was with Caroline and Matt at the Grille. How come you and Stef didn’t go?”

“We already had plans. Bonnie just went to catch up with them for a bit. Are you done with the third degree yet, Damon?”

“Patience, Gilbert. She left the Grille right when you guys came, which is just so interesting to me. Any particular reason?”

“Her dad needed help with something back at their house, that’s all.”

“So, no one else came to visit with her? Just here for Rudy, all by herself?” Elena narrows her eyes, giving him an incredulous look but Damon just stares back at her, unblinking.

“Are you serious right now, Damon?”

“Of course I am, now answer the question.”

“I can’t believe you’re acting like this, like you have no--” Elena was cut off by her phone ringing, picking it up frustratedly, still glaring at Damon.

“Hey Jer, what’s up?” she says, getting up from the table and walking out of the kitchen, shooting Damon one more nasty look.

“What were you hoping to get out of Elena?” Stefan asks casually, clearing his and Elena’s dishes from the table.

“Oh, I don’t know, just information about Bonnie, it’s not like we were together or anything, Stef,” Damon responds sarcastically. “After all, who else is going to tell me things? You’ve proven to be a lousy informant.”

“I’m sorry for not taking advantage of my girlfriend’s trust, Damon,” Stefan retorts exasperatedly, and Damon just rolls his eyes and chooses to ignore his little comment.

“Apology accepted, little brother. Barbie and Donovan never tell me anything either, and your friendship with them isn’t a bonus. Carebear glares at me usually, and Donovan just gives me one word answers half the time when he’s concentrated on not being such a tool,” Damon scowls, and Stefan sits back down at the table with an irritated look on his face.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Damon. They never bring her up, and they all ignore me if I do. Why don’t you just call or text Bonnie?” Stefan suggests gently, and Damon sneers.

“So I can hear about why she left with no explanation? No thanks, I’ll spare myself of that conversation,” Damon replies angrily, and Stefan shrugs.

“You never know, people change. She’s here for a month, you can do something about it if you want to,” Stefan tells him quietly, and Elena comes back into the room, her eyes flickering between them warily.

“Sorry, I need to run. Alaric is coming over, Jeremy said that Aunt Jenna needs some paper that apparently is in my car, and someone has to stay to watch Kayla. Call me, okay?” Elena smiles at Stefan, giving him a kiss on the cheek and nods at Damon before walking out of the kitchen again.

“So, what are you going to do, Damon?” Stefan asks.

**JUNE 2008**

Damon surveyed from the shadows of the room with disinterest, nursing a glass of bourbon while Andie nuzzled his neck. Her perfume kept overpowering his nose, making his eyes slightly itchy but he didn’t care to make a fuss about it. She’d just get all whiny, asking what was wrong and he wasn’t in the mood to fight. He watched Elena walk around the room in her white lace dress with a new necklace Stefan had gifted her, greeting her friends with Stefan holding her hand, looking at her adoringly. It made him sick, watching the gross happy couple and even worse, his father had actually allowed Elena to hold her birthday party. Maybe his father didn’t believe it would last, had only wanted to indulge Stefan but he’d never bothered to give Damon the same treatment.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to use the washroom,” Andie murmured, giving him a smile and he nodded. He watched her leave the room, then stood up, his eyes on Elena and Stefan. He tossed some of her friends a glance, noticing the loud blonde and Elena’s ex were sitting on the couch together, looking practically molded together; Bonnie was talking to them quietly, a little chuckle escaping her throat at something the loud one had said.

“Hey judgey,” he called to Bonnie, who gave him a withering look and rolled her eyes. He came up to Elena, a smirk on his face and her smile faltered a little, while Stefan only gave him a tense look.

“Hey birthday girl, you look gorgeous,” Damon greeted her, watching her glance at Stefan nervously and gave Damon a tentative smile.

“Thanks, Damon. I don’t know if Stefan mentioned that Rose is coming with her new boyfriend tonight, I hope that’s okay,” Elena explained, and he just smiled, sipping his bourbon.

“Of course, me and Rose are friends. It’s not Rose I’m looking for tonight,” Damon said, looking directly at Elena but he could see Stefan clenching his jaw out of the corner of his eye.

“Damon, stop. I don’t want a fight tonight,” Elena said seriously, sliding her other hand up Stefan’s arm and Damon narrowed his eyes, giving her a tense smirk.

“Anything for you, Elena,” Damon replied smoothly, noticing Andie was back and slinked over to her, giving her a deep kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you'd like, I'd love to hear your opinions on the story or on TVD.


	2. 2. Stop using other people as your punching bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Willin’, cover by Mandy Moore (Bonnie’s present POV)  
> \- All Along The Watchtower, cover by Tom Ellis (Bonnie’s flashbacks)  
> \- Creep, cover by Tom Ellis (Damon’s present POV)  
> \- Off The Table by Ariana Grande ft. The Weekend (Damon’s flashbacks)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you'll see in this chapter that I mention the myth, the legend, the baddest bitch of them all...KATHERINE PIERCE. Unfortunately she will only be mentioned by name in this story, but I wanted to clarify that neither her or Elena's physical appearance has changed, they both look the same as they did on the show but no one thinks they look alike. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or the characters. 
> 
> ...unfortunately I don't possess the talent of wrecking every good ship on TVD

“I’m so sorry, Bonnie, Stefan saw my texts and wanted to join, I couldn’t call because he was right there otherwise I swear I would’ve driven the car right off the road,” Elena says apologetically through the phone and Bonnie laughs. 

The light breeze tickles Bonnie’s cheek, and she can hear the sway of the trees from around the neighbourhood. Lila’s in her new little playhouse that Bonnie’s dad has bought as an early birthday present, and Lila has practically spent all morning in it. Bonnie loves watching Lila play and babble to herself, and she couldn’t help but suspect that her dad had bought it as incentive for them to come to Mystic Falls more. 

“I know you would’ve. It’s fine, I guess he would’ve found out eventually. At least Caroline and Matt told Stefan I’m back, that way I don’t have to be the one to go through that conversation,” Bonnie answers, and Elena lets out a relieved sigh. 

“I swear, I will do a better job of being a secret spy,” Elena vows, and Bonnie giggles. 

“I’m counting on you, Miss Gilbert,” Bonnie says in a dramatic voice, both of them bursting into laughter.

“Promise me we’ll meet up sometime this week? I need to see my best friend again, and Aunt Elena has already picked out Lila’s birthday gift. Caroline told me she’s organizing Lila’s birthday party, and I’ve been promoted to assistant.”

“Wow, that’s one of the highest honours in the Forbes party planning system.”

“I know, I wish I’d prepared a speech when she told me.”

“We will definitely meet up before Lila’s birthday, I swear. Name a date and time, we’ll be there,” Bonnie says sincerely. 

“I will, promise. Ric’s here so I have to go, but we’ll see each other very soon. Bye Bon.”

“Bye Elena.”

Bonnie hangs up the phone, smiling softly and watches Lila shut the windows with a mischievous grin. When she left Mystic Falls, it had taken awhile for her to finally call Elena and tell her that she was pregnant; even when she’d felt okay enough to call her, it had taken days for her to actually muster up the courage to call. But just like Caroline, Elena had been super supportive, she’d gone down with Caroline several times to visit Bonnie and Lila. Even after Bonnie had explained some of what happened, Elena had urged her to talk to Damon but ultimately kept her mouth shut, which probably wasn’t easy considering she’s his brother’s girlfriend. Elena had always been like a sister to her, and Bonnie couldn’t imagine not having her in her life. 

**AUGUST 2008**

“What were they even fighting about?” Bonnie asked, half-distracted by the magazine photo of Ashton Kutcher as she flipped through a magazine. Her dad was away for work, and she’d been feeling lonely so Elena had invited her over for a sleepover; Elena was pacing the room, ranting about how Damon and Stefan had gotten into a fight at a party a couple nights ago. 

“Damon was flirting again, and then said something stupid about stealing me away, then they started arguing and Stefan punched him,” Elena sighed, flopping on the bed beside her. 

“Okay, I’m still confused about why they’re fighting though? It’s like a soap opera story, kind of hard to keep track.”

“Bonnie, this is literally the last time I’m going to explain it. When Stefan was fourteen, Damon had a girlfriend named Katherine. Katherine would come over when Damon would be at football practice, and she’d talk to Stefan. Eventually, she started to fall for Stefan. One day, Katherine is hanging out with him and basically tries to kiss him right when Damon walks in--”

“That’s literally a scene out of gossip girl,” Bonnie chimed in, grinning and Elena rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 

“Anyway, Stefan did have a crush on her but he told her no. Katherine was not too happy about being rejected by a younger guy.”

“So it’s a revenge plan, Damon flirting with you?” Bonnie said with a smile, giggling a little at the absurdity of the situation. 

“I guess so,” Elena huffed, “Now I hate going over to Stefan’s, it’s so tense whenever Damon’s there. I know Damon’s not a bad guy, I don’t hate him or anything but I’m happy that he’s staying in residence. I’m tired of being caught in the middle.” 

“Just pull through it, a couple more weeks and you’ll be free. Just don’t go to Stefan’s, go to the Mystic Grille or hang out at a park,” Bonnie suggested lightly. 

“I hate this stupid Katherine Pierce girl,” Elena grumbled, and Bonnie giggled. 

“Poor Elena has two guys fighting over her. What will she do?” Bonnie teased, and Elena whacked her with a pillow.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Lila whines, draping over Bonnie’s lap and Bonnie smooths her hair with an amused smile. 

“Okay...how about we go meet Uncle Matty?” Bonnie suggests, and Lila perks up, jumping up with excitement and a big grin spreads across her face. 

“Uncle Matty! He’s here, Mommy?!”

“He works at a restaurant that serves very yummy food, baby. Would you like nuggets for lunch? Or maybe some mac n cheese?” Bonnie grabs Lila’s hand, leading them back into the house and Bonnie gets her purse, packing up her things and some toys for Lila in her bag as Lila rambles on about lunch. 

“...n cheese is so yummy, Mommy! It’s one of my favourites. What about dessert, can I have dessert?” Lila gives Bonnie a wide eyed, innocent look and Bonnie bites down a smile. 

“Sure, Lila. As long as you’re a good girl at lunch and you’re nice to Uncle Matty,” Bonnie replies firmly, and Lila beams. “Out the door now, let’s go eat.”

Bonnie buckles her into the car, driving over to the Grille and grinning at Lila kicking her legs excitedly. Matt told her he’d be working today, and she’s excited for Lila to finally meet him. Bonnie parks the car, walking over to the Grille with a skipping Lila; they’re seated in Matt’s section, and Bonnie waves as Matt walks over to them with a grin. 

“There’s Uncle Matty, Lila,” Bonnie nudges her, pointing at him. Lila tries to lean closer to Bonnie, which proves to be difficult in a booster seat so Bonnie pulls her chair gently. 

“Hey Lila, it’s Uncle Matty,” Matt says softly, bending down to her level with a smile. 

“Hi Uncle Matty,” Lila responds with a shy smile, casting a look at Bonnie who smiles encouragingly. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ll be like your chef, what do you want for lunch?”

“I want nuggets,” Lila declares, and Matt let out a little laugh. 

“Good choice,” he answers, standing back up and looking at Bonnie, “Can I start you guys off with drinks before I get the nuggets?”

“Just water for me and milk for Lila, thanks Matt,” Matt scribbles their order on his notepad, walking away and Bonnie pulls out some crayons and paper for Lila. 

“Lila, why don’t you draw something for Uncle Matty? You’re such a good drawer, I’m sure he’ll love it,” Bonnie encourages her, and Lila immediately scribbles away with enthusiasm. Bonnie flipped through the menu, looking at the meals and smiles at the familiarity of it. The Grille hasn’t changed much, and she’s able to find her usual meal and some nuggets for Lila. It feels a little odd considering she came here as a kid herself, one time she even had a birthday party here and now she’s back with her daughter. 

“Ready to order now, Bon?” Matt asks, jerking her out of her thoughts and she smiled at him as he set down their drinks. 

“I’ll have the blue cheese chicken pasta, and Lila will have the number three kids meal. If you could put in a ‘hurry quick’ to the chef, that would be great because I really don’t want to endure a meltdown,” Bonnie adds, and Matt chuckles. 

“Coming right up, Bon.”

“You’re the best, Matt!” she calls, watching him walk away and shoot her a smile. She turns her attention back to Lila, quickly grabbing a napkin to clean up the milk Lila just spilt on her shirt and she shakes her head fondly with a smile. 

“Sorry, Mommy,” Lila says, gazing at Bonnie with her big blue eyes as Bonnie wipes down her shirt. 

“It’s okay, you just need to be more careful, Lil. What have you drawn so far?”

The afternoon rush hasn’t hit yet, so the food comes quickly enough and Matt is able to sit down with them for a bit, talking to Bonnie and playing with Lila. Lila quickly gobbles up her food, and clapped her hands together when Matt brought her an ice cream sundae and Bonnie can’t help but smile at her daughter’s joy. Lila has always been a bit of a foodie, always eating anything Bonnie would put in front of her and could turn into a bit of a monster when she got hangry. Eventually though, Lila starts yawning and becoming more dulcet, wriggling in her booster seat and whining, so Bonnie unbuckles her and lets Lila crawl into her lap, resting her head on Bonnie’s chest quietly. 

Bonnie’s waiting at her table patiently, gently stroking Lila’s hair and waiting for Matt to bring the bill; she stiffens when Elena and Stefan walk through the door, wanting to shrink in her seat but doesn’t want to move Lila, who’s on the verge of falling asleep. Elena has spotted her out of the corner of her eye, and pulls Stefan in the opposite direction but he’s looking around the Grille, catching Bonnie’s eye. Stefan pulls Elena back, pointing at Bonnie and she watches them exchange a couple words; Bonnie can only watch with dread as they make their way over to her, Stefan smiling pleasantly and Elena giving Bonnie an apologetic look. 

“Bonnie, hey. It’s great to see you, I feel like it’s been forever,” Stefan greets them, looking between her and Lila curiously. 

“It’s good to see you too, Stefan. How have you been, how’s school?” Bonnie asks politely, when Lila turns her head to look at Stefan and Elena; she brightens at the sight of Elena, lifting her head off Bonnie’s chest with a grin. 

“Mommy, it’s Aunt Elena!” Lila exclaims, waving at Elena happily and Elena laughs, stepping forward to give her a bunch of kisses. 

“Hey silly girl! Did you miss me?” Elena coos, pinching Lila’s cheeks and grinning as Lila giggles. 

“Where’s Auntie Care, Aunt Elena?” Lila asks, glancing at Stefan shyly. 

“Auntie Care had plans today, but I know that she’ll be very excited to see you,” Elena responds; Bonnie glances at Stefan, who’s staring at Elena with a shocked expression. 

“Bonnie, is this your daughter?” Stefan asks plainly, staring at Bonnie and Elena’s face pales, glancing at Bonnie nervously. She’s not really surprised that Damon never mentioned Lila to Stefan; she contemplates lying for a second, just to avoid a confrontation but then again there’s not really much point in trying to lie, Lila has already called her ‘Mommy.’ She takes a deep breath, hoping this conversation will stay pleasant. 

“Yes it is, this is my daughter, Lila. Lila baby, I’d like you to meet my friend, Stefan,” Bonnie replies, and Lila gives Stefan a hesitant smile. Stefan steps forward, bending down to Lila’s level with a gentle smile. 

“Hi Lila, it’s nice to meet you. I love your shoes, they’re so pink,” Stefan says, and Lila’s face lights up. 

“Mommy let me pick them,” she answers proudly, resting her head again on Bonnie’s chest and Matt finally arrives with the bill. 

“Hey Elena, Stefan,” Matt says warily, eyeing Stefan as he passes Bonnie the bill. 

“So, Bonnie, tell me how you’ve been,” Stefan says, standing upright and slides into the seat opposite Bonnie; Matt and Elena exchange alarmed looks, but all Bonnie can do is muster a smile and pray he doesn’t bring up Damon. 

**OCTOBER 2008**

Bonnie wandered the grocery store aisles numbly, continually staring down at Grams’s ring on her finger. She’d always loved that ring, had begged Grams to let her try it on and for the last year, she’d persistently hounded her for when she could have that ring. Grams had always said that one day, when Bonnie was older, she could have it as a gift, something that Bonnie could then pass down to her kids. She’d always eyed the ring whenever she saw Grams, briefly thinking of when she’d be able to get the ring. Would she be graduating high school? University? Maybe celebrating an engagement? But not like this, not from a stupid will reading, not from a body that would six feet under in a couple days. Bonnie was sure she’d be crying right now if she didn’t feel drained, she had no more energy left to muster up any tears. She put a package of spaghetti in her cart when she felt someone approach her, and looked up to see Damon Salvatore smirking at her. 

“Hey judgey,” he said, observing her curiously and Bonnie couldn’t even muster up a glare to give him. 

“Hey Damon,” she sighed, and he cocked his head slightly; he was probably taking in her red-rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked tentatively, shifting uncomfortably. 

“It’s nothing, it’s...my grandmother passed away a few days ago,” Bonnie answered, sniffling slightly and glanced down at the ring again. 

“I’m sorry to hear that, my condolences. Were you guys close?” Damon asked sincerely, and Bonnie blinked, surprised at the decency he was exhibiting. 

“Yeah, we were. My dad’s always travelling and my mom left when I was little, Grams was always there for me and had my back, and now…” Bonnie trailed off, her voice shaking. 

“My mom died when I was thirteen. I loved her, but,” he shrugged, “she kept her distance. My dad is a jackass, so it made things...difficult. If we’d been really close, I’d imagine it would hurt like a bitch.”

Bonnie looked at him with surprise; Elena had never mentioned that Stefan’s mom had died. It was hard around all her friends, they’d never had a parent abandon them or someone they loved die on them; Caroline’s parents were divorced, but her dad still saw her on a weekly basis and Matt understood it better, but even he had Vicki. Bonnie’s mom had left and her dad was always travelling, so all she had was Grams, and now she didn’t. She was now completely, and utterly alone. It was clear that Stefan and Damon had an antagonistic relationship, and their dad sucked; it occurred to her that Damon understood what she was feeling. _What a shitty week._

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know about your mom,” Bonnie offered, and for a second there was a hint of a melancholic smile on his face before it vanished. 

“I mean, it’s been awhile. She was a good mom, and it is what it is. I really am sorry about your Grams, but the feeling will pass with time. Believe me, I know,” Damon coughed, averting his eyes, “Anyways, I should go. Lady friend waiting for me.”

He winked playfully, returning to his usual smirk and Bonnie rolled her eyes, a tiny smile on her face. 

“Typical Damon. I’ll see you around,” Bonnie remarked, pushing her cart down the aisle and leaving Damon. 

“See you, judgey!”

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“This could be done by a high schooler, Damon! I expect better!” Giuseppe yells at Damon’s retreating back, and Damon rolls his eyes. Yet another lecture on how Damon is useless and can’t do anything right, what else is new. Damon is just about ready to call Enzo to blow off some steam when he notices a couple messages from Stefan. 

_**stefan: u need to come to the grille NOW. ASAP** _

_**stefan: not joking damon, COME NOW** _

Damon stares at the texts, his brow furrowed and the thought running through his head that a certain someone must be there. He’s not sure if he even wants to talk to her, he even considers not going to avoid a tense reunion but he wants to see her, observe how she’s changed over the years. He wonders if he should change his outfit just in case he does end up talking to her, but the window may pass by the time he does get there if he changes. He runs out the door, hopping into the car, pulling out of the driveway with a screech and driving to the Grille; he zooms down the streets, weaving past cars and running a couple yellow lights, praying no cops were around. He grits his teeth at the filled parking spots at the Grille, and parks down the street; he jogs up to the Grille, slowing down as he eyes the entrance. He wants to go in, but he’s sure that he’ll be caught and Stefan will force him to come over; while he’s weighing his options, the entrance swings open, and there she is. 

He feels like he’s in a dream, his eyes running over her body and face hungrily; her hair is just past her shoulders in soft waves, she’s wearing a yellow sundress that makes her look more radiant and even the way she’s walking is different. In high school she kept her head down, letting Elena or Caroline take the spotlight and always had a shy smile on her face, like she’d be surprised if someone noticed her in the halls. Now he can tell something’s changed, her head is held high and there’s an air of confidence in her step, like she’s not afraid anymore. However, what surprises him the most is the sleeping toddler she’s carrying in her arms; the chubby cheek resting on Bonnie’s shoulder, clearly drooling and the little dark brown curls in pigtails. Damon lurks in the shadow of the building, watching them cross the street to Bonnie’s car. 

He can see Stefan say something to Bonnie, a sincere smile on his face but his eyes seem to be searching his surroundings for Damon; Bonnie disappears from view for a minute, clearly buckling in the little girl and pops back up, giving Stefan a small smile and steps into the driver’s seat, pulling out of the Grille and drives away. Damon sees the smile on Stefan’s face drop, turning to Elena in anger as he slowly approaches them, their voice growing louder. 

“--knew that she existed the whole time, and never said anything to us, he deserves to know--”

“Stefan, he had the chance, he didn’t take it! If Lila isn’t in your lives, don’t blame it on me, talk to him!”

“What are you--”

“--I was respecting my best friend’s wishes, she asked me not to say anything about being back and I listened!”

“Woah, guys, what’s going on?” Damon interjects, holding his hands up but Elena only glares at him and looks back at Stefan. 

“Of course you called him, not even considering how Bonnie would feel about seeing him,” Elena snaps at Stefan, who actually looks a little guilty. “Don’t worry, Damon. Stefan will be happy to provide you with the details.” 

Damon watches Elena walk back to the Grille, and Stefan runs a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. 

“Stef, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Damon asks, and Stefan is silent for a moment. 

“I think you really need to talk to Bonnie.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, you heard Elena--”

“It’s not just about Bonnie anymore, Damon. Go see her,” Stefan says sharply, and Damon frowns. Of all the times to be cryptic, why now? What on earth does not being about Bonnie anymore mean? Damon thinks back to seeing Bonnie, and the toddler in her arms, a sinking feeling in his stomach. 

“I saw Bonnie before she left. Who was the kid in her arms?” Damon asks calmly, and Stefan can’t seem to look him in the eyes anymore. 

**DECEMBER 2008**

“Hey! I needed a break from dancing. Where did Krystal go?” Elena asked, sitting down at Damon’s table, her face flushed with happiness and it only makes Damon feel more miserable. 

He’s been watching Elena and Stefan dance for the last hour, ignoring her newest girlfriend Krystal and her rants about college and her friends. She’s a nice girl, good in bed but there’s no substance to the relationship, not like the way his brother and Elena act together. He’d noticed the way they smiled at each other, how she would rest happily in the crook of his neck, the way she would say I love you to him. How openly she said, in her honest and pure way. He wished he was holding booze instead of some lame virgin cocktail. 

“Could you ever look at me the way you look at Stefan?” Damon blurted out, feeling drunk on adrenaline and misery; Elena’s face blanched, staring at him in shock and horror. 

“What?”

“Could you?” he asked, staring at her and her jaw hardened, her face turning from shock to indignation. 

“You shouldn’t ask stuff like that, Damon. Stefan is your brother, and I love him,” she replied fiercely, glaring at him and getting up from the table. He watched her walk away to the bar where Blondie and Matt are standing, and Krystal is talking to Rose. Wonderful. He’s sure that Rose will come over with a speech later, about how he should stop messing around with a new girlfriend every month. She was like a freaking therapist at times. 

The only relationships he’d considered to be real were Katherine, Rose and Andie so far. Katherine had only been a year younger, but she had been vivacious and a free spirit. She’d been beautiful, always had a look in her eye like she was hiding a secret and Damon had been fascinated. He’d practically been in love with her, until he’d walked in on her trying to kiss Stefan, a shy and stupidly sweet ninth grader at the time. Things had gone downhill pretty fast from there. Him and Rose hadn’t lasted long, but she’d understood him more than most and tolerated his attitude. It hadn’t been love, more of a mutual and honest understanding; Damon had needed that. Andie and him had lasted for a while, and she let him do whatever he wanted and vent to her whenever he needed it. It was a shame when she went all the way to Boston for university, but Damon hadn’t really cared when she’d left. 

He enjoyed flirting with Elena, watching how her eyes widened and seeing Stefan get angry, relishing in how Stefan felt exactly what he’d felt with Katherine. To know that Stefan was put in his position, satisfied and calmed Damon even when things would get physical. It was worth it to see the hurt in his eyes. 

But then the odd feeling would bubble in his stomach, watching the way those two would gravitate towards each other, neither ever apart from the other for long. The intoxicating adoration in Elena’s eyes when she looked at Stefan, and the gaze he would send her way when she wasn’t looking, was alien to Damon. Even his parents hadn’t acted like that when his mom had been alive, they’d never looked at each other like they were the only people that mattered. And so he’d asked her that dumb question. He’ll probably watch Stefan stomp over to him and punch him in the next couple minutes. 

“Hey Damon,” a voice said, and he looked up to see Bonnie; for a second he almost didn’t recognize her, her makeup all done up and looking very much unlike the judgy girl he knew. Her hair was straightened, her eyes looking especially vibrant with thick eyeliner and she was wearing an embroidered navy cocktail dress; Damon licked his lips unconsciously, taking a sip of his drink and smirked. 

“Hey judgey. Don’t you look nice tonight,” he remarked slyly, and Bonnie gave him an annoyed look but didn’t say anything. She still liked to give him scathing looks and roll her eyes at him, but she’d at least talk to him now if she saw him. 

“Where’s Elena and Stefan?” she asked.

“They’re getting drinks or dancing. Who cares, you’ll just end up being the third wheel anyway,” he remarked, and she scoffed, crossing her arms. 

“I wouldn’t be the third wheel, asshole, I’m--” Bonnie was cut off by a tall guy who sidled up next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss against her cheek; Bonnie giggled, whispering something in his ear and he kissed her neck lightly. Bonne turned back to Damon with a grin, holding the guy’s hand that was around her shoulder and the guy eyed Damon curiously. 

“Damon, this is my boyfriend, Kai Parker. Kai, this is Stefan’s older brother,” Bonnie introduced him, and Damon gave him a tight smile. He remembered Kai from high school, he’d almost been expelled last year for tagging his name in a bunch of the school hallways; he’d been saved by his captaincy on the swim team and a lot of money from his family. How he managed to get Bonnie under his spell, Damon couldn’t even understand. 

“Nice to meet you, Damon,” Kai gave Damon a wolfish smile, which somehow irritated him even more; Damon only nodded at him curtly, noticing that Krystal had finally reappeared, a drink in hand with a bored look on her face. 

“Well, we’re gonna get some drinks. Happy New Year, Damon,” Bonnie gave him a soft smile, pulling Kai away and leaving Damon to brood.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Damon’s sitting in his car, staring at Bonnie’s house apprehensively. He’s shut off the ignition and radio, but he can’t seem to move from the seat. He’d left Stefan in the parking lot, seething over the fact that Bonnie had moved on with some other guy and had a kid; he’d wanted to storm into the Grille, demand that Elena or Donovan tell him who got her pregnant, and then go pound the guy’s face in. But then he started to mull over his conversation with Stefan as he drove over to Bonnie’s house, thinking about Stefan and Elena’s argument and how Elena had glared at Damon; by the time he arrived at her house, he’s not so sure if there even is another guy.

Now he’s sitting in the car, trying to gather the courage to walk up to the house; it doesn’t look any different, he can see her car parked in the driveway and he silently prays her dad isn’t home. He takes a deep breath, stepping out the car and walks across the street, up the driveway and the porch steps. He stares at the door hesitantly, filled with the urge to turn around and leave but steps forward, knocking on the door and waits nervously. He can hear the creek of the floorboards inside the house, see her approaching silhouette through the curtain; he straightens up, bracing himself and Bonnie Bennett opens the door, still as beautiful as ever. 

She still looks good, Damon licks his lips unconsciously, and there’s a few lines etched onto her face but what really unnerves Damon is the way she’s looking at him. He can remember how he used to visit her on weekends, flowers in hand and the way she’d open the door, her eyes lighting up and a big grin would bloom across her face. She only stares at him warily now, a hint of resignation in her expression and something about that makes him ache inside, but he pushes the feeling away. 

“You don’t look surprised to see me,” he tries to joke, but it just falls flat to his ears. 

“I knew Stefan would tell you I’m back,” she replies, looking uncomfortable, “I thought there was a chance you might come.”

“How old is she?” Damon blurts out, staring at her intently and watching the colour drain from her face. 

“What?”

“I asked, how old is she?” he repeats again; she takes a deep breath and Damon already knows that it’s true. 

“She’ll be three on the fourteenth,” Damon sucks in a breath, quickly doing the math and his eyes widen; there’s no denying the truth. 

“She’s mine, isn’t she?” he breaths out, and she gives him a weird look but nods.

“I put her down for a nap, but you can come in.” 

Damon steps inside the house, feeling a little dizzy and off-kilter. _He has a daughter._ She gestures to the loveseat in the front room, and he sits down, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants and watching her set a baby monitor down on the coffee table. 

“What’s her name?”

“Lila Emily Bennett-Salvatore. After my Aunt Emily, she took me in and let me live with her in Atlanta. I go to Georgia State, and it’s her that watches Lila when I’m in class, I just couldn’t have done it without her help,” Bonnie explains, and Damon grits his teeth; he wants to ask her what happened, why she left but he doesn’t want to wake up Lila. 

“That’s a pretty name.”

“I have some photos, my dad filmed some of it too, did you want to see?” she asks tentatively, and he nods. She walks out of the room, down the hall and he can hear her shuffling around in the other room; he feels a little overloaded from all this information, and he’s bursting with questions but he knows that now is not the time. She’ll just shut down on him, kick him out before he can meet his daughter so he can keep his mouth shut for now. She comes back into the room with an envelope and a thick video camera; he raises an eyebrow at the old technology. 

“I think my dad was going to put it on a hard drive, but he’s always travelling and I haven’t been home in forever, so,” she shrugs, sitting down and taking out some photos. 

She passes him one, and it’s Bonnie at six months; she’s wearing a flowy blue dress, posing for the camera with a big smile and a hand on her belly. He suppresses a smile at the sight of the old Bonnie, and takes another photo from her. It’s clearly a baby shower, there’s an explosion of pink decorations and Bonnie is smiling with another woman who looks several years older with curly brown hair and a playful smile. 

“That’s my cousin Lucy. She helped a lot too with the pregnancy, Lila really loves her,” Bonnie adds, and held up the video camera with a smile, “My dad actually came down for the last two months of the pregnancy, stayed for a month after.”

“Wow, I didn’t know Rudy had it in him to stick somewhere,” Damon remarks, glancing at Bonnie to see her reaction but she’s still smiling. 

“Yeah, he was really good about it. He spoils Lila a lot, he even bought one of those stupid playhouses for her,” Bonnie shakes her head fondly, turning on the video camera and passing it to Damon. He stares down at the screen, watching it flicker to life and there’s Bonnie sitting on a couch with a large baby bump.

“Maya is a pretty name,” he heard Rudy say from behind the camera, and Bonnie smiles thoughtfully, rubbing her belly absently. 

“I like it, but I don’t know...any other ideas?” 

“Lucy!” he hears another woman’s voice chime in, and Bonnie laughs. 

“I think there’s only room in my life for one Lucy,” Bonne replies, and Damon can hear a huff in the background. 

“What about Sophie?” 

“Too basic, I know too many Sophies.”

“Elizabeth?”

“Caroline’s mom is named Elizabeth.”

“Hmm...Tessa?”

“Nah, not a fan of it.”

“Okay, why don’t you tell the camera what names are on your list so far?” the camera zooms in on Bonnie’s smiling face, and Damon thinks she has that pregnancy glow going on. 

“Hello camera, or future Bonnie...or my baby girl! So far I’m considering the names Tatiana, Violet, Lila, Paige and Juliette. I can’t say for sure which one is in the running, once you’re out then I’ll know for sure,” Bonnie brushes her hair out of her face, giving the camera an earnest grin and the recording cuts off. Damon hands the camera back to her silently.

“You never considered Sheila, huh?” he blurts out, and Bonnie looks surprised for a moment, a melancholic expression taking over after. 

“No, I mean...I don’t know, I thought maybe as a middle name, but...it just felt wrong to me, like I was giving her away,” she admits. 

“Did you ever consider any boy names?”

“A couple...I liked Sebastian, Nathan or Axel.”

“Axel?” Damon wrinkles his nose, giving her a look and she looks offended. 

“Axel is cute! It would’ve been nice,” she answers indignantly, but he just shakes his head. She’s about to open her mouth again to defend herself, when high-pitched babbling comes out of the baby monitor. He stares at the monitor dazedly, the truth becoming a little more grounded in reality and Bonnie glances at him, getting up from her seat. “Do you want to meet her?” 

Damon can only nod, unable to speak. He follows Bonnie upstairs, walking down the hallways that now seem foreign and alien to him now. She opens the door to a dark room, and he can see the outline of a toddler in a bed surrounded by railings. His daughter raises her arms up to Bonnie, clinging onto her and he can’t help but stare like an idiot. 

“Hi baby,” Bonnie whispers to her, turning to Damon, “Let’s go downstairs, wake her up a little.”

They walk back down, Lila’s face buried in the crook of Bonnie’s neck and Damon feels like he’s in a trance, seeing her for the first time. They move to the living room, and Damon notices it’s been rearranged, a little more messy with toys and children’s books; a little smile plays on his lips as they all sit down, his daughter clinging to Bonnie with a wary expression.

“She has my eyes,” he breaths out, and Bonnie gives him a small smile. 

“Lila, I’d like you to meet my good friend, Damon Salvatore. Can you say hi, baby?” Bonnie says to Lila, and Damon raises an eyebrow at her choice of words but doesn’t say anything. 

“Hi,” Lila says shyly, still watching Damon and slowly slides off Bonnie’s lap; he watches her run around the room, grabbing some toy but still runs back to Bonnie, looking at Damon suspiciously.

“She gets really shy around people she doesn’t know,” Bonnie says apologetically, and Damon shrugs. 

“It’s fine. I guess it’ll take time for her to get comfortable around me,” Bonnie gives him a surprised look. 

“You’re coming back?”

“Well I can’t be on friend status forever, right?”

“Yeah, I know you shouldn’t be, but...I need to know you’re sticking around. I don’t want her to wake up one day wondering where you went,” Bonnie explains firmly, staring at Damon. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” he replies earnestly, and she looks like she’s about to say something else but Lila interrupts them. 

She holds up a book pleadingly, and Damon automatically offers to read it. He smiles whenever Lila laughs at his silly voices, and he can’t ignore the warm feeling in his chest when he catches Bonnie watching them with a faint smile. 

**FEBRUARY 2009**

“Hello?”

“Hi, I’m calling to wish judgey Bennett a happy birthday,” Damon said, leaning back on his bed and waving goodbye to his roommate, Enzo.

“How’d you get my number, Damon?” 

“I got it from Stefan’s phone, of course. I couldn’t miss today, judgey. After all, seventeen years ago, the most judgemental person on the planet was born.”

“Screw you, Damon,” she replied, but he could hear the smile in her voice. 

“What are you going to do today? Go find some teen moms to silently shame? Go observe the potheads behind the school and scoff at them?”

“Wow, have I mentioned how old that joke is getting?”

“Seriously, what are you doing today?” 

“My dad is home, so we’re just going to have dinner and cake tonight, nothing special,” she said casually, but he can tell she’s pleased about that. “Kai is going to take out for lunch, which should be. Caroline has also organized a girls night for tomorrow of course, we’re going to do karaoke and then let Elena and Caroline make me over for fun.”

Damon rolled his eyes at the mention of Kai; he can’t believe she’s still dating that jerk. He’d like to tell her how much of an idiot that guy is, but their friendship is so tentative and she’d probably get angry, find a way to set him on fire or something, even though he’s all the way in Blacksburg. 

“Well, that sounds fun. Have a good birthday,” he responded gruffly, clenching the phone tightly and she sighed softly. 

“Thanks for calling, Damon,” she responded softly, and hung up the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you'd like, I'd love to hear your opinions on the story or on TVD.


	3. 3. Just a question that will be answered on Sunday, I suppose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Thinkin Bout You by Frank Ocean (Bonnie's present POV)  
> \- Maybe This Time by Liza Minelli (Bonnie's flashbacks)  
> \- RPG by Kehlani ft. 6lack (Damon's present POV)  
> \- Trampoline by SHAED (Damon's flashbacks)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or the characters. 
> 
> ...watch me continue to shade the show. Everyone deserved better (elena can choke)

Bonnie watches her dad nervously as they all eat breakfast, her finger tapping the table anxiously and she’s eating slower than usual so she’ll have enough time to talk to him and send Lila to the other room if needed. She knows that he won’t like the news that Damon has been coming over for the past few days, getting to know Lila after all this time; he’s held a grudge against Damon for getting her pregnant and leaving her, so it’s not going to be an easy conversation. 

“Okay, Bonnie, what’s going on?” her dad says tiredly, eyeing her suspiciously and she blanches, trying to muster up a smile. 

“Um...what makes you think something is happening?” 

“Bon, I know you and your little finger tap. You did the same when you told me you poured all the fish food in the tank, when you bought that really expensive dress for some school dance and when you told me you were pregnant. I know something’s up,” he snorts, and Bonnie grimaces slightly at her lack of tact. 

“Well...Damon came to see me a few days ago, and since then he’s been coming over, hanging out with me and Lila, getting to know his daughter,” she explains hesitantly, watching her dad’s face redden and his hand clenches his fork tightly. 

“Lila honey, if you’re done, you can go play,” he says calmly, watching Lila finish the rest of her waffle and takes her out of her booster seat; he waits until she’s in the TV room with her toys, and turns back to Bonnie furiously. 

“You’re telling me that son of a bitch has been in my house, finally visiting his daughter after all these years?” her dad hisses, his face vibrating with fury and Bonnie takes a deep breath, steeling herself for the incoming argument. 

“He wants to get to know her, and so far all she knows is Damon is a good friend of mine and it’ll stay that way until I decide that it’ll change. He’s fine with it, he has agreed and Lila loves spending time with him,” she answers calmly, but her dad shakes his head angrily.

“That man broke your heart and he will break hers. He’ll only bring both of you pain, you should not let him be around her! Damon can put in the work by paying child support instead.”

“Dad, I’m not a scared teenager anymore. I’m an adult, I can handle myself and Lila just fine. I have it under control, and I will decide how things should proceed.”

“Bonnie, you’re making a mistake. You _cannot_ trust him, this is a trainwreck just waiting to happen and--”

“Dad, I’m not asking for advice or a lecture. This is me being honest with you about what _I_ believe is best for my daughter. I don’t expect your support, I know how you feel but I want Lila to get to know him. Okay?” Bonnie declares sternly, and her dad glowers, searching her face for any sign of doubt but Bonnie just stares back, unblinking. 

“Fine,” he spits out, “but I don’t want that man in my house. And I better not ever see his face, lord knows what I’ll do.”

Bonnie lets out a relieved sigh, relaxing in her chair and helps her dad clean up breakfast. Technically it shouldn’t even be considered a victory, but Bonnie’s just happy that her dad didn’t put up more of a fight. Lila pulls him into a game about fairy princesses, and Bonnie goes upstairs to get changed and secretly phone Damon. 

“What’s up?” Damon says just as Bonnie shuts the door. 

“Change of plans. Let’s meet somewhere else.”

“Okay, why?”

“Well, I told my dad that you’ve been coming over to get to know Lila, and he wasn’t too happy. Let’s just say if you ever see him in public, I would think about running in the opposite direction.”

“Well, that’s great. Rudy’s on the warpath, everyone--”

“Shut up, he’s just overprotective,” Bonnie’s smile fades, realizing how friendly they both sound, “Anyways, did you want to just go to the park or something?”

“Why not come to the house? Lila would love it here,” Bonnie chews on her lip, thinking about the prospect of encountering Giuseppe Salvatore; not to mention also watching him meet Lila for the first time. 

“Damon, does your dad even know about Lila? What would he even do if he saw us there?” the line goes silent for a moment, and Bonnie knows that means it would only end poorly. 

“How about the town square? We could play around there, then go to the Mystic Grille for lunch. I’ll pay, my treat.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in half an hour,” Bonnie responds reluctantly. The town square is pretty out in the open, but it’s a Monday morning so there shouldn’t be any people around. She’d like for Lila to get to know Mystic Falls a little better too, maybe even see Matt at the Grille again. Bonnie changes quickly, pulling on a pair of grey shorts with a flowy blue top; she heads back downstairs to the living room, her dad giving her a relieved smile and he leaves the room to get ready for work. 

“Lila, honey, let’s go get dressed!” Bonnie says, watching Lila look up at her with a pout. 

“But I’m playing, Mommy!” she whines defiantly. 

“Lila, you can play after. We’re going to go get changed, have a fun day with Damon, you like Damon, right baby?”

“Yeah, he’s a really good monster.”

“So we can go meet Damon and go see him turn into a monster, but only if you aren’t in your PJs! You can choose what you want to wear, any colour you want,” Bonnie offers, and Lila hops up excitedly, grabbing Bonnie’s hand and walks through the hallway, bouncing upstairs with her. 

“Well, I really like the colour orange, Mommy but Damon says he likes pink! So I’m going to choose pink! All pink, Mommy!” Lila announces, and Bonnie smiles; she helps Lila put on a pink dress, keeping a close eye on her while she packs a bag. 

Bonnie ushers Lila out the door finally with a goodbye to her dad, putting her in the car and drives them down to the town square. Lila had become a lot more comfortable around Damon since their first meeting, now unafraid to play with him or even throw tantrums in front of him. She tries to hide her smiles when she watches them play together, and she doesn’t think he’s noticed which is a good sign; sometimes when they’re sitting together watching Lila play, she can feel him looking at her and she’ll glance at him, noticing the look in his eyes like he’s about to go on off her, but then Lila will come over and it’ll be forgotten. So far they just make small talk about school and Lila, it’s a little awkward and stilted but she’s doing it for Lila. At least that’s what she tells herself about fifty times a day. 

Bonnie pulls into a parking spot, unbuckling Lila and setting her down; they walk together to a bench where a grinning Damon is sitting. 

“Damon! Damon!” Lila cries excitedly, letting him pick her up and sit her down in his lap; he tickles her belly, his smile widening as she giggles and Bonnie tries to tamp down a smile. 

“How’s my favourite girl doing?” Damon coos softly, and Lila begins to babble on about her toys. They listen to her talk until she slides off Damon’s lap, demanding bubbles and they comply after receiving a please.

“So, what does Giuseppe think you’re doing if you’re not in the office?” Bonnie asks curiously, blowing a big bubble and watching a giggling Lila chase after it. 

“Who knows. He’s not my direct supervisor, thank god but I know my supervisor has to tell him how I’m doing every week. I’m not even entirely sure that he knows I’m not there. I’m still kind of at the bottom of the ladder anyway, I don’t really do anything super important. He’s probably just waiting for Stefan to finish university so that he can just pass it off to him,” Damon admits plainly, blowing some more bubbles and smirks at the sight of Lila desperately trying to pop them all.

“Does he like business? He never striked me as an entrepreneur, boss man kind of guy,” Bonnie remarks, and Damon shrugs. 

“I’m not sure, Father always said it was our path and Stefan is so obedient, always a people-pleaser so he probably never really thought about another career.”

“Well, that sucks...I’ve been meaning to ask, how are you and Stefan? Are you guys doing okay now?” Bonnie asks, unconsciously placing a hand on his arm; he looks up at her surprised, then back down at her hand and she feels her cheeks redden, pulling her hand away quickly and concentrates on blowing more bubbles for Lila. 

“We’re good now,” he coughs, his gaze still on his arm, “It took awhile, of course. Didn’t even realize we patched things up until we were behind it. We don’t talk about it anymore, maybe just when we’re drinking or messing around but no hard feelings. No more brawls or anything.” 

Damon finally turns his gaze to her, smirking and she rolls her eyes. She can’t even remember how many parties she went to in high school where the night had ended with Stefan and Damon fighting. 

“That’s good. I think I once referred to your fights as an episode of gossip girl,” Bonnie remarks with a smile, and Damon snorts. Lila’s forgotten about the bubbles now, instead playing some sort of imaginary game and hopping around like a rabbit. 

“Well, Stef was just a stupidly sweet ninth grader, and Katherine was a manipulative teenager that was used to getting everything. Not my fault that he wanted to live up to the amazing Damon Salvatore.”

“Wow, I guess all the people Lila will date won’t be able to compare in your eyes,” she teases with a smile, and he smirks. 

“Of course not. I’ll be like her bodyguard, I need to be prepared to defend her at any cost from any assholes who break her heart,” he counters, and her smile falters. That comment stings more than it should.

**MARCH 2009**

All Bonnie can see is red, she feels like she’s going to explode and she just wants to rip into Kai, make him feel what she’s feeling right now. She should’ve listened to her friends, paid more attention to their advice and _known better._

“I said I needed space, that doesn’t mean you go fuck another girl?! I can’t believe you, even Elena said you were no good, I should have listened to her!” Bonnie yelled angrily, her fists clenched and Kai stared at her beseechingly. He kept trying to step closer to her, reaching forward to intertwine their hands but she’s not having it. _She won’t cave in._

“Babe, please, it was a mistake, it meant nothing to me! I was mad, I swear I never would’ve done it if you needed space!” Kai pleaded with her, but the last sentence only made her more furious. 

“Wow. So if I hadn’t said I needed space, then you wouldn’t have cheated on me?! You are unbelievable,” Bonnie laughed hysterically, aware that they were having a very public fight right next to the Grille but she doesn’t care. She’ll have it out with him right there, let everyone hear what a shithead he really is. 

“Who even needs space, anyway?! That is--”

“Wow. Did you think that would work? After all, it’s always on me, right?!”

“Don’t play dumb, you know exactly what you’re doing, giving up on us so easily. You’re being a fucking coward,” he snarled, his face turning red and Bonnie ran her hands through her hair angrily. 

“I’m not going to work it out with your cheating ass. I should’ve known you’d just end up hurting me, that you’d just treat me like trash.”

“Because your bitchy little friends said so, right? Grow a fucking spine, Bonnie,” he hissed, getting up in her face angrily and she gritted her teeth. 

“Fuck you. We’re done, I don’t ever want to see you again,” she told him hotly, turning away when he grabbed her roughly. 

“Don’t fucking walk away from me, you--” Kai was cut off by a dark figure who pushed Bonnie back and punched Kai in the nose; he fell to his knees, cupping his face as blood started to coat his hands and Bonnie looked at the person, stunned when they turned around and the eyes of Damon Salvatore searched her face. She stood frozen to the spot, watching Damon turn back to Kai with a furious expression on his face. 

“Don’t you ever touch her again,” Damon hissed at Kai viciously, then walked over to Bonnie; he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, steering her away from Kai and towards her car. Bonnie felt her anger subside, only the empty void of pain greeting her as she felt her bottom lip tremble, hot tears pricking her eyes. 

She leaned against the hood of her car, Damon watching her silently and tears finally dripped down her face as her shoulders shook. She could vaguely see Damon set down a brown paper bag, wrapping his arms around her and she cried into his t-shirt, his minty cologne tickling her nose. 

“How could I have been so stupid...wasted five months on him, and everyone told me...even Matt said I should be careful, but did I listen?! He was just so charming, and nice, and the way he looked at me...like I was the only one...what a fucking joke,” Bonnie blubbered into Damon’s shirt, his hand patting her back and caressing her hair lightly. 

“Hey, you couldn’t have known, Bonnie. He fucked up, that’s on him. He was the stupid one, screwing up like that,” Damon said softly, and she smiled sadly against his shirt. 

“That’s nice of you to say, Damon but--”

“I’m serious,” he pulled back, staring at her intensely, “It’s his loss. He lost his chance to be with the great Bonnie Bennett.”

Bonnie felt stunned at Damon’s confession, looking into his earnest eyes and not seeing the usual mischief and arrogance in them. She wiped her eyes slowly, sniffling quietly as Damon watched her patiently. 

“What are you doing here, anyway? Don’t you have classes or something?” 

“It’s spring break. My dad didn’t love the idea of sending me off to Miami to go party, so here I am...did you want me to drive you home or something?” he asked awkwardly, but Bonnie shook her head. 

“No...my dad isn’t even home, I don’t want to be alone right now and Kai might show up at my house later.”

“I know Elena is visiting Isobel and John this weekend...what about going to Caroline’s? Or seeing Matt?”

“Matt and Tyler are hanging out tonight, and Caroline...she never liked Kai, I really don’t want to talk about him tonight...” 

“You could come over to mine.”

“What?”

“I have takeout from the Grille,” he gestured to the brown bag, “I can get Stefan to drive me to pick up my car tomorrow, and it’s just me and him at the house, we were going to watch movies together. No talking required, and Stefan is pretty good at sharing food. Unless of course, you’re too scared to enter the house of horrors,” Damon wiggled his eyebrows, and Bonnie let out a watery laugh. 

“I think I can brave it for one night,” Bonnie answered with a shaky smile, stepping into the car with him.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“I WANT A PINK STRAW!” Lila yells, her tiny hands in fists and her face contorted in anger; Bonnie watches her calmly, her lips pressed together silently. Bonnie knows that the best way to deal with it is let the tantrum ride out, let her scream and cry until she finally starts calming down. She knows that she’s probably getting stares from other people in the Grille, but she doesn’t care; unless the Grille has magically started providing pink straws, Lila’s going to have her meltdown. 

“I want a pink straw!” Lila whines, tears streaming down her face angrily and Damon looks between them nervously, clearly unsure of what to do. He looks at Bonnie for direction, but she just shakes her head. She knows how daunting it is when your kid has a tantrum in public, but she knows from experience that dragging her out of the restaurant will only anger Lila even more. Lila lets out a couple yells of frustration, still crying for a few minutes but eventually they subside into hiccups and a wet face. 

“That wasn’t fun, was it?” Bonnie says softly to Lila, and she nods, “Okay, can Mommy give you a hug and kiss?”

Lila nods again, stretching out her arms and Bonnie moves to hug her, pressing a kiss to her cheek and smiles, grabbing a napkin to wipe her tears. She watches Lila return to her drawing, and glances at Damon, noticing the baffled look on his face and she smiles amusedly. 

“Not very fun, huh?” she teases, and he musters up a small smile. 

“Yeah, no...I don’t even know how to deal with tantrums.”

“It takes practice. Took me time to get it right, figure out how to deal with it. I used to hate having people stare at me too, judging me but now I don’t care. Either they don’t understand or they’ve forgotten what it means to have a toddler. One time I ended up spilling a milkshake all over someone, because she was having a tantrum and I thought taking her out would be wise. She only started screaming even more, and that person was not happy,” Bonnie grimaces slightly at the memory, she’s pretty sure that she cried in her bedroom later that day. Not one of her best parenting moments.

“I think you’re going to need to tell me your tricks, because I’m definitely not prepared.”

“It just takes practice, you’ll get it. She’s getting older now too, so the tantrums will be less frequent.”

“Yeah...what did you have planned for her birthday? It’s in about a week, so.”

“Um, well, Caroline is planning out a party for Lila, so that’s how we’ll celebrate.”

“Carebear is planning it? Oh god.”

“Hey, she’s an excellent planner!”

“Exactly, she’ll go all out. She’ll probably kidnap Mickey Mouse and all the disney princesses,” Damon remarks, and Bonnie stifles a laugh. 

“Maybe she will, but Lila doesn’t need a big party right now. I’ll save organizing goodie bags for future birthdays,” Bonnie jokes with a smile, but she knows it doesn’t reach her eyes. 

Lila will have other birthdays of course, but what will happen? Bonnie still has two years of school at Georgia State, and Damon will be working for his father. She knows Giusieppe has several offices along the east coast, but she’s not sure that he’d let Damon out of his sight. Would Damon just come down for special occasions? When would Lila see him? Bonnie doesn’t want to know the answers to these questions, and as much as she hates herself for it, she likes that they can all get together everyday. She doesn’t want to know what’s going to happen after this. 

“What about your birthday? What were you planning to do?” Bonnie asks, changing the subject and he smirks. 

“Well, I was going to hit up a bar, maybe ask Enzo to come down for a couple days but now that I have Lila here...I should probably change my plans.”

“Probably for the best. Lila, honey, did you know that Damon’s birthday is only four days after yours,” Bonnie says, holding up four fingers to Lila, who turns to Damon with a surprised look. 

“Can you believe it, Lila?” Damon says, ruffling Lila’s hair, “How old are you turning?”

Lila holds up three fingers proudly, and Damon gasps dramatically. 

“Three! You’re becoming such a big girl!” he replies, and Lila grins proudly, and there’s a warm feeling expanding in her chest, watching the two of them. 

“How old will you be, Damon?” Lila asks. 

“How old do you think I’ll be, Lila?”

“Hmm...seven?” Bonnie can tell that Damon wants to laugh, but he just shakes his head with a smile. 

“No, I’m turning twenty-three.” 

“That’s a big number,” Lila says solemnly, looking at Damon with wide eyes. 

“Do you know how old your Mommy is?” Lila looks at Bonnie confusedly, her face scrunched up thoughtfully. 

“Um...twenty-three?” 

Bonnie laughs a little, smiling. “Mommy is twenty-one. You probably don’t remember it, but Grandpa came over, Aunt Lucy brought over a yummy chocolate cake for all of us. Aunt Emily made us pancakes too. Would you want pancakes for your birthday, baby?”

“Yes! Yes! Oh, blueberry please, Mommy!” 

Their food finally arrives, and Lila digs in greedily; Bonnie suspects the tantrum was partially because she was hungry. Bonnie digs into her salad, noticing a thoughtful expression on Damon’s face while he eats. 

“Was the labour hard for you?” he asks suddenly, and Bonnie pauses for a moment, a little surprised at the question. 

“I mean...I had it better than a lot of other women, but it definitely wasn’t easy. I didn’t know what to expect, my Aunt Emily could barely even remember and you know, I couldn’t exactly go ask my mom. I think it was four hours? I was about to go to bed, it must’ve been almost midnight and then the first contraction hit.”

“How did Rudy react?” Damon asks, snickering slightly. 

“He drove like a maniac to the hospital, and hovered over the nurses,” she smiles at the memory of her dad barking questions at the nurses, staring at the monitor constantly even though he couldn’t understand it. 

“That would’ve been something to see,” he comments lightly, no longer looking at Bonnie and for a moment she wants to scream at him, ask him why he’s doing this now but she just holds back her rage and takes another bite of her salad.

**APRIL 2009**

Bonnie laid back on the picnic blanket, closing her eyes with a smile as the warmth of the sun kissed her skin. After weeks of cool weather, Mystic Falls finally got a nice warm day and she wanted to enjoy it, so she called Matt to go have a mini picnic in the town square. She’s been hanging out with him a lot more lately since Caroline and Tyler had started dating; Matt and Caroline had broken up back in January, and she knew that it had been amicable but seeing her with his best friend was still a struggle for Matt. It was nice to not have to third wheel, Bonnie loved Elena and Caroline but it was a little awkward to watch them with their boyfriends, kissing or laughing at some inside joke she didn’t understand. Matt dropped beside her, laying back with a smile and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. 

“So, where’s Vicki going? Did she finally choose?” Bonnie asked.

“She’s decided on Central Virginia Community College for advertising. She’s planning to take out a lot of loans, take on more hours at the Grille this summer but she’s excited to graduate, work on getting the hell out of Mystic Falls.”

“Well, that does sound like Vicki.”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be weird not being at the same school, but I don’t know, maybe it’ll be a blessing in disguise. I won’t have to drag her away from parties, or hold back her hair when she’s puking into the toilet,” Bonnie laughed, smacking Matt’s arm lightly. 

“You’re just being a good brother, it’s good that you already have those strategies down for your next girlfriend,” Bonnie joked, and Matt chuckled. 

“Yeah, you know Kai looked so pissed when he saw me waiting at your locker the other day. He seems pretty convinced that we’re together.”

“Ugh, he hasn’t said anything, right? No threats or promises of a brawl?” 

“Nah, he just glares at me.”

“Tell me if he does, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I don’t care, I’d love an opportunity to take that asshole down,” Matt remarked matter-of-factly, and Bonnie let out a choked laugh.

“Matty!” she scolded him, when she felt her phone vibrating next to her; she sat up, pressing the answer button and holding the phone to her ear, turning away slightly from Matt. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi there, I’m looking for judgey, about 5’1 and these green eyes that always seem to be silently critiquing you, is she there?”

“Hey Damon,” she said with a smile, looking back at Matt who had a curious expression on his face. 

“How have you been, judgey? That turd Kai hasn’t been bugging you, has he?”

“I’m doing good, feeling a lot better. I’m just trying to focus on school, and move onto my senior year. And don’t worry about Kai, the most he does is give me looks whenever we pass each other in hallways. He looks mostly pissed off, but I don’t care, I can handle him.”

“I’m sure you can, after all it wasn’t like you had a dashing man come to your rescue or anything.”

“Hmm, I would say it was a creeper or stalker who decided to do the right thing.”

“No, it was more like a bodyguard. Just count me as your bodyguard, I’d love an opportunity to punch him again,” Damon chirped, and Bonnie laughed. 

“That won’t be necessary. Besides, Matt has been my bodyguard, he’s occupying the position currently,” Bonnie teased, glancing at a smug Matt. 

“Donovan is protecting you?” Damon said incredulously. 

“Hey Damon!” Matt chimed loudly with a grin. 

“Well, looks like you’re in good hands. I should go,” Damon said gruffly, and Bonnie frowned, noticing the irritation in his tone. 

“Okay, I’ll talk to you soon, Damon,” she replied, hanging up the phone and feeling like she’d done something wrong. She’d only been hanging out with Matt, moving on from Kai and she hadn’t even insulted him besides their usual banter. There was no reason for him to be mad. None at all. So then why had he sounded so annoyed?

“So, are you going to be a lifeguard again this summer? I mean, there has to be someone there that’s good at CPR,” Matt’s teasing voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she laid back down next to him with a smile.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Damon eats quietly, half-listening to his father yelling at someone on the phone and hopes he can be out of here soon. His father is pissed off again, and he’s not in the mood to fight with him tonight, to let him egg Damon on into a yelling match. He can feel Stefan’s anxious stare on him, but everytime he looks up Stefan is concentrating on his own meal and he feels a flare of annoyance. Stefan knows that he hasn’t told their father about Lila yet, and he knows that Stef wants to know when so he can go into hiding until the dust settles. His father finally hangs up angrily with a snarl, focusing back on his meal angrily. They eat with their father once or twice a week, always in the dining room which is a pain in the ass, since he never helps to clean up and it’s always unpleasant. 

“Everything alright, Father?” Stefan asks tentatively, glancing at him quickly. 

“Just idiots at work, Stefan. You remember for the future that sometimes the only person you can trust to do the work is yourself,” Giuseppe growls, and Damon resists the urge to roll his eyes; he knows that it’ll set his father off if he catches it. 

“Damon, what did you want for your birthday?” Stefan asks politely, his eyes flickering to their father for a second and back to Damon with a smile. 

“What?” 

“Father, Damon’s birthday is on the eighteenth, remember?” Stefan says gently, now looking uncertain and glancing at Damon nervously. 

“Oh, right,” Giuseppe grumbles, not even sparing Damon a look and Damon clenches his jaw, biting back a snide remark. 

“I don’t know, some weights or a new shirt? I don’t really need anything, Stef,” Damon answers honestly, and Giuseppe snorts. 

“Never heard that before from Damon,” he says, his eyes glittering with mirth and Damon keeps his face impassive, clenching his fist under the table and continues eating his dinner. 

Giuseppe finally finishes his food, leaving the table without any goodbyes and Damon glowers at his retreating back, wishing he could scream at that man. Sometimes he can’t believe that he was born into this family. He focuses his attention back on a concerned Stefan, and rolls his eyes. 

“I’m not in the mood for a heart to heart, Stef,” Damon snipes, but Stefan is undeterred. 

“He’s just in a bad mood, Damon, that’s all,” Stefan offers, almost pleading but Damon bangs his hand down on the table angrily. 

“That’s what you call it, Stefan? He’s being a vindictive jackass, trying to get a rise out of his own son. Why do you defend him? He even forgot that my birthday was coming up!”

“He’s our father...the only parent we have left, he cares about us, look at how he’s helped us with school and you with work.”

“Don’t you mean what he forced us into?! _He_ wanted us to take business, always said we’d have to work for him. Have you ever even thought about what you’d do if you didn’t go into business?” Damon exclaims angrily, watching Stefan falter and his face fall. 

“I…”

“Exactly! You don’t even have an answer! God, sometimes I wish I was still in school and away from him.”

“Why don’t you just move out then, Damon?” Stefan asks icily, but Damon just rolls his eyes. 

“I don’t have enough money yet, and I’d rather not be referred to as the prodigal son if it goes to shit. Plus I’m not gonna leave you to become the punching bag for him,” Damon adds gruffly, and Stefan actually smiles a little. 

“And how is, uh,” Stefan looks around, lowering his voice, “hanging out with Bonnie and Lila going?”

“It’s fine. Her dad isn’t happy about it apparently, and Carebear is throwing a party for her birthday. I’m still on friend status of course, but I’m working on it.”

“Friend status? You mean--”

“Lila thinks I’m just Bonnie’s good friend, not her dad. Bonnie said that she’ll decide when Lila knows I’m her dad.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

“I’m not going to force her, Stef. Bonnie’s been raising her so far, and while I don’t love it I’m not going to scream at her with demands. Not the way the old man has always forced our hands,” Damon says defensively, and Stefan raises his hands up in surrender. 

“I was just asking...when did you plan to tell our old man, then?”

“I don’t know, I mean I guess I have to tell him eventually since I keep ditching work, but who knows. He’s always hated all my girlfriends, I doubt he’ll be pleased to find out I have a kid.”

“Just let me know when I need to go into the bomb shelter.”

“I will make sure not to do that,” Damon replies cheerily, and Stefan rolls his eyes, flipping him off. 

“What about when she goes back to Atlanta? Elena told me Bonnie’s at Georgia State, that she just finished her second year. That’s two more years, and then what? Would she even come back to Mystic Falls? Bonnie told me she has family in Atlanta, that they helped her out with Lila.”

“Stefan, why do you always bother me with such inane questions?” Damon answers, ignoring Stefan’s look and sigh; he picks up the dishes from the table, heading into the kitchen before Stefan can interrogate him any further.

He’s not sure what to do about her going back to Atlanta. He knows she has to go back for school and she’ll bring Lila, he doesn’t want Lila to go back and forth between them and there’s no guarantee she’ll even want to come back to Mystic Falls once she graduates; how many careers for psychology are there in this town anyway? Unfortunately, he doesn’t think his father would let him go to his branch in Atlanta, he wants Damon nearby and his daughter is only more incentive to keep him from leaving. Even if he did move to Atlanta, then he’d have to suffer through eventually watching Bonnie meet some other guy, get married and probably have a kid with that guy. He isn’t sure that he had it in him to watch that unfold. He walks back into the dining room, slowing down at the sight of Elena, a laugh on her face until she looks up at Damon, her laugh fading into a polite expression. 

“Hey Damon,” she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair warily. He narrows his eyes, giving her a smirk; he hasn’t seen her in awhile between seeing Lila and working, but he gets the sense that she’s been trying to avoid him. 

“Hello Elena. I haven’t seen you around here as much, where have you been?” he responds with false naivete, watching her cross her arms and even Stefan is raising his eyebrows at Damon.

“Me and Stefan have just been out of the house more. I’ve been with Caroline too, just busy around town,” she answers stiffly. 

“Ah, planning my daughter’s birthday party, right?” 

“Yes. Caroline always needs an assistant,” she cracks a small smile. 

“When did you find out anyway? About Lila, I mean.” 

“I...Bonnie was five months pregnant when she told me,” Elena admits, watching Damon carefully and he smiles bitterly. Bonnie had told him that Elena and all her friends had known before him, but Elena came over almost everyday. Hell, she was going to be his future sister-in-law, everyone knew she would!

“And you just never cared to mention it?” he sneers, and she scoffs, her face darkening. 

“Are you messing with me or something?” 

“Does it look like I am?!”

“You know what, I am getting so sick of your attitude, acting all oblivious. You don’t know half the pain that Bonnie went through, how many times--”

“Enlighten me then, Elena! Everyone but Damon is in the loop, right, so let’s hear the whole story now!” Damon yells, and Elena points her finger at him angrily. 

“This is on you Damon, don’t get pissed at me! I can’t deal with you right now, Stefan I’ll meet you in the car--” Elena storms out angrily, and Stefan gives Damon a half baffled, half suspicious look. 

“What does she mean it’s on you?” he asks, and Damon scowls. 

“How should I know? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but no one ever really tells me anything,” Damon fires back bitterly, and Stefan glares at him. 

“If you have a problem with this situation, Damon, take it up with Bonnie. Stop using other people as your punching bag,” Stefan replies coldly, grabbing the dishes and heading to the kitchen, leaving Damon with his anger.

**MAY 2009**

Damon banged on the door impatiently, stepping back and tapping his foot on the porch as he waited, hearing footsteps from inside the house approaching the door. The door swung open, and Damon blinked in surprise; Bonnie had on a pair of glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose, her hair in a high ponytail and she wore an oversized Virginia Beach sweater with grey shorts. 

“I didn’t know you wore glasses,” Damon blurted out, staring at her puzzled expression. 

“Um, yeah...I mean, just when I’m watching TV or sometimes when I’m reading. I haven’t seen you in awhile, what’s up?” she asked kindly, and Damon smirked, bouncing on his feet lightly. 

“I’m here to collect the movie night you owe me,” Damon answered with a flourish, “Is your dad home?”

“No, he’s not. Well, come in, I’ll pop some popcorn,” Damon walked into the house, surveying the small front sitting room and the long narrow hallway. He followed Bonnie to the living room, his eyes glancing at the photos of the wall quickly; there was Bonnie smiling with braces, another one where she had her arms around the shoulders of an old lady, even one where it looked like she was standing next to a young Caroline. 

“So, why today of all days?” Bonnie asked casually, heading to the kitchen while Damon peered at her DVD collection. 

“Me and my dad had a fight. Something about school, I wanted to intern basically not with him but he didn’t like that. He told me to get out, and Stefan is over at Elena’s house,” Damon explained flatly. He hated being home; it felt like every week he was being told all the ways he was a disappointment, and he was considering flying out to Enzo so he didn’t have to be around his father. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Damon shrugged, glancing at her quickly. 

“It is what it is. If only Stefan had been born first, then I could actually relax without his constant attention on me,” Damon remarked bitterly, pulling out a couple of DVDs to read the summary. 

“Don’t say that,” Bonnie’s soft but firm voice rang through the room, and Damon looked up at her; she didn’t look back, only staring a little too intently at the popcorn package.

“Sorry,” Damon coughed, pulling out a couple other DVDs, “Did you have any movies in mind?

“Kind of...have you ever seen Billy Elliot?”

“Huh? What’s that about?”

“It’s a secret. It’s one of my favourite movies, I guarantee you’ll love it.” 

“Hmm, I don’t know if I trust your advice.”

“Hey, I watched the Matrix and the Godfather with you and Stefan.”

“Those are good movies! You loved it, right?”

“I did, which is why you’ll love Billy Elliot,” Bonnie said with a smile, the sound of popcorn popping echoing through the room. 

Damon plopped down on the couch, watching as Bonnie found the DVD and inserted it in the DVD player. He watched the opening scene of Billy Elliot, only half-paying attention as he glanced at Bonnie who was puttering around her kitchen and waiting for the popcorn. It was only when she finally came over with the bowl of popcorn, tucking her feet against his thigh under a blanket that he was able to relax.

**PRESENT** **DAY: 2013**

Damon presses the frozen bag of peas against his cheek, silently sipping his coffee. So far it’s been a shit morning, with his father storming into his room to demand an explanation about why Damon hadn’t been going to work; Damon couldn’t tell him the truth, instead stirring up an argument about how it wasn’t even a real job and he’d paid for that argument. Thankfully there wasn’t a bruise, only a red mark but he still had to go into the office which sucked; he could only imagine the disappointed look on Bonnie’s face when he would tell her he couldn’t come today. The kitchen door swings open, and he stares at the ground pointedly; he doesn’t want to talk to anyone right now, he knows that Giuseppe has already gone to work but he’d rather not talk to a certain brother at the moment. 

“You okay, Damon?” Elena says softly, and Damon looks up at her quickly, slightly annoyed. 

“I’m fine,” he spits out, “Where’s Stefan?” 

“He’s upstairs, taking a shower. Is there anything I can do?”

“Just don’t tell him. I don’t want him to worry.”

“I don’t think--”

“Elena, please don’t. He’ll just turn into a mother hen, hovering over me and stressing himself out. It won’t do him any good, okay?” Damon says harshly, almost glaring at her and she nods. 

“Okay, I won’t say anything,” she promises, and he ignores her pitying gaze. It’s not the first time she’s caught him like this, but he always hates how she looks at him with those sympathetic eyes. He’s not Stefan who’ll open up about every detail, who lets out the floodgates, it’s not his style and he’d prefer not to be prompted into talking about it. 

“I’m heading to work. See you around,” he says shortly, throwing the bag of peas back into the freezer and walks out to the garage. He jumps into his car, driving over to Bonnie’s house with a resigned mentality; today is shaping up to be a day full of disappointments. He pulls over next to her house, pulling out his phone to text her while observing the house closely for her dad. He has no doubt that Rudy will turn into the Hulk if he sees Damon. 

**_damon: is your dad home??_ **

**_bonnie: no_ **

**_damon: can I come in?_ **

**_bonnie: caroline’s over, why?? Weren’t u coming later?_ **

**_damon: change of plans_ **

**_bonnie: ok, I’m coming out_ **

Damon shuts off his phone, stepping out of the car and leans against the hood. It’s still early in the morning so the heat hasn’t hit yet, and he’s in the shade of the trees so his suit hasn’t started constricting him. Bonnie steps out of her house, sauntering towards him in a flowy purple tank top and denim shorts, a confused look on her face. 

“Hey,” he greets her, her eyebrows raising at the sight of him in a suit. 

“Are we taking Lila to the White House or something?” 

“Haha, very funny. No, I...I gotta go into work today,” he admits, her face falling at his words and she looks down, wringing her hands anxiously. He knows her, he knows she’s trying to hide her feelings and he hates that he’s let her down, that he’s made her upset. 

“Why? I mean you weren’t going before…” she trails off, squinting up at him; she grabs his shoulder suddenly, stepping closer and he can feel her examining his face, staring at the fading red mark on his cheek. Damon observes her, knowing that she’s figuring out the truth but revels in how close she is to him; he can see a ring of hazel around her pupil, breath in her floral perfume again and he’s disappointed when she steps away. Then he realizes that she knows why he’s going to work and decides to automatically shut down that conversation. 

“Look, I’d rather--”

“It’s fine, we don’t have to talk about it. Don’t worry, me and Lila will be fine,” she reassures him, and he stares at her, a little baffled. He’d hid the hitting from her when they dated, granted it hadn’t happened as much since he’d been in school but he’d never wanted her to worry about it. He’s sure that she would’ve pushed him to talk about it, asked him for more details but not this. He’s oddly touched by it, maybe he shouldn’t be but he’s had enough of the interrogations from everyone else. 

“I’ll still be there for Lila’s party, I promise,” he swears, and she nods. 

“I know. Did you want to do dinner tonight with us, then? That way you can see Lila?” 

“Yes, sure.”

“Okay, great. The Grille, at 6:30?”

“Sounds good.”

“Good. I’ll see you then, Damon. Have a good day at work,” Bonnie says kindly, smiling at him and it’s oddly calming, making him relax a little. 

“Yeah, see you at dinner,” he watches her walk back to the house, almost at the driveway when he calls her again. “Bonnie?” 

“Yes?” she calls back, turning around. 

“Thank you,” he says, watching her smile and nod at him, she steps back into the house; he lingers for a moment, sighing and gets back into the car to go to work. 

**JUNE 2009**

Damon opened the door, expecting to see a smiling Elena with a gift but found Bonnie standing there, rocking on her feet excitedly with a small wrapped present in hand. 

“Happy birthday,” she grinned, stepping into the house. She has a red bandana wrapped around her hair with a white t-shirt and denim shorts; her eyes are sparkling excitedly, and he can’t help but smirk at her infectious energy. 

“Thank you,” he responded, trying not to smile; he doesn’t want her to see how she’s affecting him, the way that her smile seems to be lighting up the room. 

“How does it feel to be able to drink in Canada?”

“Super great, I can’t wait to head down there tonight.” 

“Come on, nineteen is pretty big!”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be the judgey one, not me.”

“You know, you could always try calling me by my real name. I don’t know if you remember, but it’s pronounced Bonnie.”

“I’ll try not to forget, judgey. So, what’s my gift?” he asked, pointing at the wrapped present and she handed it to him. He unwrapped it slowly, feeling her watch him impatiently and he chuckled at the Billy Elliot DVD in his hand. 

“I thought you might want your own copy of it, since you liked it so much,” she added, smiling at his reaction. 

“Of course...did you put other DVDs in here too?” he shuffled them, looking down the DVD packages of Kill Bill and the first Harry Potter movie. 

“Consider it as an extra movie night ticket for you and me,” she answered, and he looked back up at her, smiling slightly. 

“I will definitely be cashing these in. Thank you, Bonnie,” he liked the way her eyes widened at the use of her name, and how her face flushed with concealed happiness. She reached forward to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck and he could feel her breath tickling his neck. Her perfume wafted through his nose, and he resisted from leaning any further into her touch; they pulled apart, smiling at each other when they heard a cough. 

“Birthday wishes for Damon, I suppose?” Giuseppe said pleasantly, but Damon could see the iciness in his father’s eyes. 

“Sorry Mr. Salvatore, I was just giving Damon his gift,” Bonnie told him politely, her eyes flickering between the two men with uncertainty. 

“I suppose that’s expected as Damon’s latest of the month,” Giuseppe responded with the same pleasant tone, and Damon clenched his fists angrily. 

“Oh, no, me and Damon are just friends. I’m Bonnie Bennett, a friend of Elena’s,” Bonnie said calmly, but he could see her wringing her hands nervously. 

“Of course you’re just friends,” Giuseppe remarked coolly, now eyeing Bonnie with contempt. 

“Okay, well, you should probably go now, Bonnie,” Damon said quickly, steering her towards the door. 

“Oh okay, well, happy birthday,” she replied half-heartedly, stepping out of the house and turning to face Damon. 

“Thank you for the gift,” he whispered with a smile, shutting the door slowly as he watched her smile back and walk to her car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you'd like, I'd love to hear your opinions on the story or on TVD.


	4. 4. Little brother, I need your advice on something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Say A Little Prayer For You, cover by Lianne La Havas (Bonnie’s present POV)  
> \- Sugar by Francesco Yates (Bonnie’s flashbacks)  
> \- Ivy by Frank Ocean (Damon’s present POV)  
> \- Memorized by Blake Stadnik (Damon’s flashbacks)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of questions will be answered in this chapter :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or the characters. 
> 
> ...I definitely did not create the tomfoolery that is the show finale

“So I asked for a Disney Princess cake! I only included the ones that were wearing a warm-toned dress to match the party theme, but I think Lila will be super happy with it,” Caroline announces proudly, holding out her wineglass for Elena to top off and Bonnie just shakes her head fondly. 

“Remember what I said about the party decorations, Care,” Bonnie warns her, and she rolls her eyes, taking a sip of her wine. 

“I know, not too many. I just want this to be a perfect birthday party for Lila, you know?” Caroline says earnestly, a pink tinge spreading across her cheeks from the wine and Elena nods. 

“A Caroline Forbes is always a fantastic party,” Elena reassures her, squeezing Caroline’s hand with bright eyes. They’re all sitting in the living room of Caroline’s house, catching up and indulging in some drinks. Lila is with Grandpa for the night, and Bonnie took the opportunity to organize a girls’ night, catch up with them in person and so far the wine has given her a good kick, leaving her feeling content and slightly nostalgic. 

“Is Jeremy coming, Elena? I think the last time I saw him he was an emo teenager who liked to smoke pot and obsessively sketch,” Bonnie reminisces, noticing a sly smile on Elena’s face. 

“He’s coming...with his girlfriend.”

“What?! He’s dating someone?!” Caroline gasps, and Bonnie chuckles. 

“They’ve been dating for a year, but we didn’t know until like three months ago. I only met her once, but it was only in passing. Her name is Anna, and from what I can tell, Jeremy is very smitten.”

“Omigod, remember when he had a crush on Bonnie?” Caroline exclaims, and Bonnie laughs while Elena shakes her head fondly. 

“He’d always throw these puppy dog eyes at you, following you around when he could. He wasn’t super thrilled when I told him you were going out with Kai,” Elena says playfully, and Bonnie laughs. 

“God, I forgot about Kai...that seems like forever ago.”

“Bon, wasn’t your first time with him?”

“Yeah, it was. Did he stick around Mystic Falls? I think I still have him blocked on everything.”

“No, I think his family moved back to Oregon and he went to some university out west.” 

“He was a dick. You were too good for him,” Caroline sniffs, and Bonnie smiles. 

“This conversation is starting to sound all too familiar, Care,” Bonnie answers, and Caroline rolls her eyes. 

“Okay, okay, I know, I’ll spare you guys of the rant about that jerk. I’m going to get some ice cream, do you guys want anything?” Caroline asks, and they shake their heads. Caroline disappears into the kitchen, and Elena turns to her face with a worried expression on her face. 

“Have you talked to Damon at all?” she asks quietly, gripping her wineglass tightly. 

“Not as much, only in the evenings. He had to go into work this week,” Bonnie replies, watching Elena carefully. 

“Yeah, I know, I saw…” she taps her cheek with wide eyes. Bonnie’s a little surprised that Elena knows; technically she shouldn’t be surprised, Elena learned about the hitting a long time ago from Stefan. Damon had tried to hide the marks and bruises from Bonnie when they were dating, but it wasn’t hard to figure out. She’s more surprised that Elena knows about this morning, it makes sense since she goes over there a lot to see Stefan, but she can’t ignore the knot forming her stomach, knowing that Elena is also in the know as well. It’s stupid, she shouldn’t be upset about something like that; it makes sense that Damon would tell Elena, why would it be any different after all these years?

“I tried to talk to him, but he shut me down. I can’t believe Giuseppe still hits them, I mean they’re adults. I keep telling Stefan to leave, that he can come stay with me but he won’t budge. It doesn’t help that Giuseppe is putting him through school,” Elena continues frustratedly, and Bonnie nods sympathetically. 

“Stefan is just very loyal, maybe it’ll change once he graduates. As for Damon, he isn’t really one for words, but I guess that’s something we’ll save for when we need to talk,” Bonnie sighs, and Elena looks confused, her brow furrowed. 

“You guys haven’t talked yet?”

“No, I...we’re always with Lila, and it’s not an easy conversation, right? I remember Damon’s temper, and I know mine as well. I don’t want Lila around if it’s going to escalate into a potential yelling match.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Caroline walks back into the room, sinking back down on the couch with a bowl of mint chocolate chip. 

“I haven’t talked to Damon yet. I was thinking maybe after Lila’s party, someone can take her out and then we could talk. He’ll be in a good mood I think, and what better time than to talk about the future?”

“Good luck. We got into an argument a couple days ago, and he acted like he had no idea about what I was talking about,” Elena snorts derisively, and Caroline frowns. 

“No idea at all? He didn’t even bring up the letter?” Caroline asks, and Elena shakes her head darkly. 

“What an ass,” Caroline fumes, “Does he really think playing the oblivious card will work? Like we’re all just going to forget what he’s done, or technically what he didn’t do!”

“I just don’t get why he’s only made an effort now to get to know Lila. Why did he never come before?” Elena says with a pensive look; Caroline glances at Bonnie, but Bonnie presses her lips together and gives Caroline a look. 

“Just a question that will be answered on Sunday, I suppose,” Bonnie lies, taking another sip of wine. Caroline looks irritated for a moment, but quickly covers it up with a smile. 

“Anyways, what do you think Lila would like for her birthday? What toys is she into right now?” Caroline asks quickly, and Bonnie smiles, grateful for the change of subject before describing all of Lila’s latest toy obsessions. 

**AUGUST 2009**

Bonnie is on the dance floor with Caroline, singing along to the music and raising her hands in the air. She felt a little self-conscious at first walking into the party, wearing a black denim miniskirt and sparkly grey tank top, but she’s done a couple shots and has loosened up more; leave it to the alcohol to give her a little boost of confidence, and hopefully some courage as well. She knows she shouldn’t be dancing, she borrowed a nice pair of nude pumps from Caroline which are sure to be killing her by the end of the night, but she’s hoping that a certain blue-eyed guy will be around somewhere. She knew he was here, Stefan had said so but there was no guarantee that anything would happen. They’d been hanging out a lot more this summer, she was glad that they were friends but she wasn’t sure if he wanted to be anything more. Bonnie felt a tap on her shoulder, turning around with a smile, expecting to see Damon but was surprised to see an attractive guy staring down at her with a charming smile. He leaned in, his hazel eyes twinkling and Bonnie couldn’t help but eye his toned muscles from under a clean white shirt. 

“Can I dance with you?” he asked loudly in her ear, pulling back and waiting expectantly. She glanced back, noticing that Caroline was now dancing with Tyler but watching their exchange with a sly smile; she turned back the guy, about to open her mouth to say yes, just to have a little fun when an arm crept around her waist, pulling her close and she looked up in shock to see Damon staring at the guy with a tense smirk.

“She’s already promised me a dance,” Damon told the guy, and pulled Bonnie away; they went to the other side of the dance floor, Damon lacing their fingers together and started to dance with her, pulling her close. 

“I didn’t know you could dance,” she remarked in his ear, smiling as she stepped back and he shrugged. She’s trying to keep her cool, trying not to seem giddy and definitely not thinking about the way his hands feel in hers. 

“I make exceptions,” he replied simply, twirling her out and back in, her back pressed against his body, “You weren’t really going to dance with that tool anyway, right?” his lips grazed her ear, and she shivered lightly. She turned back around to face him, took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes bravely. 

“I only really wanted one person to dance with me tonight,” she admitted boldly, searching his face for any type of reaction; he dipped her, his face inscrutable and whipped her back up. Her hands were on his shoulders, trying to regain her balance from the sudden momentum and his lips came crashing down on hers, her body lighting up and she eagerly kissed him back.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“Jenna, Mr. Saltzman, hi!” Bonnie says happily, greeting them as they walk into the backyard. Jenna’s smiling, gift in hand and Alaric is carrying a gurgling one year old with strawberry blonde hair and dark blue eyes. 

“You can just call me Alaric, Bonnie. We’re not in school anymore,” Alaric smiles, and Bonnie grins sheepishly. 

“Old habits die hard. Is this Kayla?” Bonnie gestures to the baby in Alaric’s arms, and Jenna nods happily. 

“This is her. Where’s the birthday girl? I’m dying to meet her,” Jenna says excitedly, giving Bonnie a hug. 

“She’s with Grandpa, go say hi! I’m just waiting for everyone else to come,” Bonnie explains, gesturing to the big white canopy; Lila is sitting in Grandpa’s lap, talking to Caroline while Matt and Tyler are sipping drinks at the table. Elena has gone inside to look for some more plastic cutlery on Caroline’s orders, and Bonnie is still awaiting a couple more people. The backyard door swings open again, and Bonnie doesn’t recognize the couple for a second, before blinking and realizing it’s Jeremy and his girlfriend. 

“Jeremy, hi! You look so different,” Bonnie manages to say, reaching up to give Jeremy a hug. He’s grown taller, and gone is the shaggy long hair replaced by a short haircut; his girlfriend is petite, with curly dark brown hair, fair skin and a kind smile. 

“Hey Bonnie. Wow, you look great,” Jeremy says, smiling, “This is my girlfriend, Anna.”

“Hi, I’m Bonnie. I’ve known Jer since he was little, me and his sister are best friends,” Bonnie introduces herself, shaking Anna’s hand with a smile. 

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ll be sure to ask for embarrassing stories later on,” Anna winks, and Jeremy claps a hand over her mouth. 

“That won’t be necessary, Bonnie. Anna doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Jeremy intervenes, smiling a little as Anna giggles behind his palm. Bonnie smiles, watching the two of them walk away and Lila suddenly runs over to Bonnie, holding her arms out and Bonnie scoops her up. 

“Hey baby. Did we say thank you to Auntie Care for the party?” Bonnie asks sternly, still smiling a little. 

“I did, Mommy,” she says proudly, nodding her head and her little curls swing slightly. 

“Good girl. I love the dress you chose for me, baby, it’s so pretty,” Bonnie tells her seriously, tugging on her flowy olive green sundress and Lila grins. 

“That’s why I chose it for you, Mommy,” Lila declares proudly, wrapping her pudgy arms around Bonnie’s neck and Stefan and Damon walk in, two huge gift bags in hand. 

“I see that the toy store robbery went well,” Bonnie remarks, and Stefan smiles. 

“Anything for the birthday girl. Hi Lila, happy early birthday,” Stefan says kindly to Lila. 

“Thank you…”

“It’s Stefan, baby.”

“Thank you, Stefan,” Lila repeats bashfully, and Stefan smiles, walking to the tent. Damon approaches more closely, reaching forward to press a kiss against Lila’s cheek. 

“Happy birthday, Lila baby,” Damon says with a smile, watching Lila brighten. 

“Thanks, Damon! Will you play with me later?” she pleads, her eyes widening innocently. 

“Of course I will. You just let me know when,” Damon responds seriously, and Lila grins. 

“Lila baby, why don’t you go find Grandpa, okay?” Bonnie says, letting Lila down and watching her run back towards the tent canopy. 

“You are under strict orders not to talk to my dad, otherwise I can’t protect you,” Bonnie warns him, and he smirks. It had taken a lot of begging and pleading to let her dad have Damon over, but he’d relented as long as he was allowed to give Damon the silent treatment. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than having to hide Damon.

“Fine with me. We wouldn’t want there to be a murder at the party anyway,” Damon muses, and she rolls her eyes. 

“Very funny, Damon,” she remarks sarcastically. “Also, I was hoping we could talk after the party, just the two of us?”

“Yeah, of course,” he responds smoothly, staring at her curiously and she gave him a small smile. 

“Great. Should we go see what Caroline has planned?” Bonnie asks, and Damon lets out a dramatic sigh. 

“Should I expect to see someone juggling fire?”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath,” they join everyone in the tent, gathering around Caroline who had a sly smile on her face. 

“Okay, I have invited two very special people here today for the birthday girl, Lila. They have travelled from far and wide to be here today, they are...Rapunzel and Princess Tiana!” Caroline announces, and Lila screams, jumping up excitedly. The two disney princesses step out, waving and smiling as Lila lets out excited shrieks; Bonnie’s filming the whole thing, laughing slightly. 

“Mommy! Look, Mommy, look! It’s Rapunzel! And Princess Tiana!” Lila exclaims, oblivious to everyone else’s giggles and smiles; Bonnie moves up next to Lila, grinning as the princesses approach. 

“Let’s go say hi, baby,” Bonnie says, taking her hand and stepping closer up to the princesses. She stands back while Lila hugs the princesses happily, taking photos and noticing all her friends’ amused gazes; she can’t help but glance at Damon, feeling almost captivated by how open his happiness is on his face. 

**SEPTEMBER 2009**

“I swear that bitch Amber has it out for me, she’s been second guessing every decision I make on the student council. Like she has any good ideas!” Caroline huffed, throwing her hair over her shoulder while Elena watched Stefan practice football, a little smile on her face. 

“Why don’t you threaten her or something? Or will you be impeached?” Bonnie cracked a smile, and Elena giggled, her attention back on their conversation. 

“Student council politics can be very messy, Bonnie,” Caroline retorted hotly, “People can jump ship just as easily.”

“Well, I’m sure she has nothing on Caroline Forbes. I don’t know anyone who can plan as well as you do,” Elena offered, and Caroline had a smug smile on her face. 

“That’s true, there’s a reason that Amber’s only the treasurer,” she said haughtily. 

“Plus, we know you’re going to give us an amazing senior year. The Caroline Forbes scrapbook demands it,” Bonnie bumped Caroline’s arm, and Elena giggled. 

“It’ll be amazing for sure,” Caroline promised with a smile, “Looks like they finished practice! Let’s go down.”

They all sauntered down the steps of the bleachers; sometimes Caroline and Elena liked to stay to watch the football practices, and then go home with their respective boyfriends so Bonnie would hang out with them when she could. It was nice being able to spend time with just the three of them, so Bonnie just wanted to take every moment she could with them. It would be the last year they were all really together, before they got pulled in different directions for college. 

“What do you guys think you’re going to wear to the 60s dance? I’m still deciding between looks, I’m deciding between classy and groovy,” Caroline said, and Elena and Bonnie exchanged amused glances. 

“The dance is still a couple weeks away, Care. I haven’t really thought about it,” Elena answered. 

“Classy is definitely your style, though,” Bonnie added, eliciting a grin from Caroline who nodded. 

“Yeah, I feel like it’s the better choice, but it’s the colour palette that I’m just not--”

Bonnie felt two arms wrap around her, hugging her from behind; her first instinct was to scream, until she breathed in the minty cologne. 

“Hey,” he whispered, and she could feel him smirking against her ear. 

“What are you doing here?!” she exclaimed, turning her head to give him a kiss.

“I came to visit you of course. Plus, it’s been one month, so we need to celebrate,” Damon answered, and Bonnie grinned at him before turning back to an amused Caroline and Elena. 

“Well, looks like you need to go celebrate, Bon,” Elena remarked slyly.

“Bye guys,” Bonnie said, blushing slightly and walking away with Damon, their fingers laced together. 

One thing she’d learned about Damon since dating him was that he was very affectionate physically, always needing to touch her in some way or capture her attention. He wasn’t much of a talker, didn’t use his words to express his feelings and she was fine with that. It didn’t really bother her, but when he wasn’t around, when he was at school, her insecurities would poke at her. She was still in high school, and she’d seen how Damon operated with past girlfriends; it never bothered her until they’d started dating, once she realized that things could really crash and burn between them. Even his relationship with Elena sometimes made her uneasy; she knew that Elena loved Stefan, and Damon didn’t flirt with Elena anymore but Elena had told her what Damon had asked her on New Year’s Eve. Stefan hadn’t even been around, and it had confused Elena, since it wasn’t any sort of revenge. Maybe the flirting had been real in some way. Bonnie shook the stupid thought away, chastising herself for thinking like that. Damon had reassured her that this was real, that he wasn’t going to walk away and she believed him, she trusted him not to do that. She wouldn’t let her stupid fears take over and cloud their relationship. 

“So, what did you have in mind for our celebration?” Bonnie asked, reaching Damon’s car and sliding into the passenger seat. 

“It’s a surprise, Bon Bon.”

“I think I liked it better when you called me judgey,” Bonnie remarked, eliciting a chuckle from Damon and he reached towards her to press a kiss against her smiling lips.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Damon sets down the last table, leaning it against the wall and shuts the back door. The birthday had been a huge success with disney princesses, a pinata and tons of presents for Lila; Caroline had spared no expense for this party. He’d been happy to watch Lila enjoy herself, and had successfully avoided Bonnie’s dad, thank god he’d gone to a work meeting tonight. Elena and Caroline had taken Lila to Caroline’s house, and everyone else had gone home, full from all the food Caroline had ordered and the heat of the afternoon. He turns around with a sigh, noticing Bonnie in the kitchen putting a kettle on; she looks up, a small smile on her face. 

“All the food Caroline ordered has made me feel pretty bloated, so I’m making tea,” she explains, looking a little nervous and he nods. He walks over, leaning on the counter separating the kitchen and TV room with an expectant look. 

“I guess we should talk, right?” he says, and she sighs. 

“Yeah, we should.”

“I’m not going to try and take Lila away from you or anything. Even if I wanted to, I’m pretty sure you’d still get her.”

“I know...I mean, I know you wouldn’t try to take her. I still have two years left at Georgia State, obviously you know where I’m staying. It’s a six hour drive, or you could take the plane if you wanted.”

“What about you? I mean, would you drive down?”

“Of course, my dad and Elena and Caroline and Matt and everyone else is here. I could come for summers, that would work.”

“Okay, what about after?”

“After what?”

“After you graduate. Then what? Would you come back to Mystic Falls?” he asks insistently, looking at her accusingly and she looks a little taken back by the question. 

“I...I don’t know. I have a life in Atlanta.”

“That’s hardly fair, I have a life here too.”

“Wow, you have some nerve.”

“Really? I’m the one spewing bullshit?”

“If you want to talk about what’s fair and what’s not, I have plenty of experience in that department!” 

“You know, I am getting really sick of people talking to me like I’ve done something wrong. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out!” Damon yells, and Bonnie huffs angrily. 

“Fine! I just find it  _ so _ interesting how you talk about fairness, the audacity of it all. You know what wasn’t fair?! Being used and abandoned, having to be a single mom, and you have  _ the nerve  _ to walk back in after I’ve put in all the work!”

Damon can feel his irritation rising, listening to Bonnie’s hypocritical rant but he just watches her, stony-faced and waiting for her to finish so he can argue back. 

“God, Damon, do you know how long it took for me to be happy again?!” Bonnie continues, still fuming but there’s something else in her expression too, “To be okay with the fact that you never cared, that you walked away? Now you’re here acting like you’ve done nothing wrong...but I guess you have to choose what’s worth it and what’s not right, right? When you stay and when you leave? Whatever, I wasn’t worth it but why wasn’t Lila? I-It’s just...why did you leave us, Damon? Why are you lying to me?”

Damon stares, his anger sliding into shock at the scene before him; Bonnie is crying because of him. Tears are rolling down her face, and she’s gazing at him with this awful look on her face because of him. He’s seen her cry before about other people, he’s been on the receiving end of a million smiles, scowls and angry stares but never this. He’s never been the one to hurt her like this. 

“I...I…”

“I mean, fine, you didn’t actually want to be with me, but I guess I thought we were friends at least. I was pregnant with your kid and you never came, never called me...I felt like I was trash,” Bonnie cries, wiping her nose and he’s more confused than ever now. 

“Bonnie...no one ever told me you were pregnant,” Damon says softly, and she sniffles, now averting her eyes as the tears drip onto her dress. 

“Well yeah, because I wrote you a letter. There’s no need to lie anymore, I know you got it.”

“What are you talking about? What letter? Where did you leave it?”

“Are you...I left it on your car windshield? I...I think the garage door was open, your car was in there so I slipped it under your windshield, it was a yellow envelope...did you really not get it?” Bonnie asks, looking stunned and he clenches his jaw angrily. 

“When did you deliver it?” he inquires in a low voice. 

“I...I think it was the day I left. I think it was the twentieth? Must’ve been around noon, because I was still packing that morning,” Bonnie answers shakily, and for a second all he can see is red. He should’ve known...of course he would do this. 

“I never got to read that letter, because someone else took it,” he admits, his voice vibrating with fury and he storms out of the house. 

He runs down the steps, getting into his car and zooms out of Bonnie’s neighbourhood, going back to his house; he should’ve suspected that he’d do something like this, already knowing the truth before Damon ever did. All he’s ever done is hurt Damon over and over, and tried to mold him to fit his own benefit. Damon parks in front of the house, running inside and to his father’s office. 

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Damon roars, bursting into the office and his father looks up, slightly confused but already ready for a fight, “YOU KNEW SHE WAS PREGNANT AND YOU HID IT FROM ME THIS WHOLE TIME! FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, SHE THOUGHT I’D ABANDONED HER!”

“Well, well, congratulations, Damon. You figured it out,” Giuseppe replies, his voice dripping with derision. 

“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER?! TO ME!”

“Reputation is everything, Damon! That little whore would’ve dragged you down, her and the little brat. I saved you,” he sneers, and Damon shakes his head angrily. He’s so tempted to punch his father, to repay him for the treatment he’s suffered over the years.

“YOU RUINED ME! You always have, and always will. I have had enough of your shit, I am so sick of you controlling my life,” Damon hisses vehemently, pointing a finger at him viciously and Stefan runs in, looking bewildered. 

“Damon! What’s going on?” he asks, looking between Damon and their father anxiously. 

“This piece of crap knew Bonnie was pregnant the whole time. The day Bonnie left, when we were forced to go grocery shopping for him, Bonnie swung by and left me a letter.  _ He _ never let me see it,” Damon spits out, glaring at his father and Stefan’s jaw dropped. 

“And you’ll never get to see it. After I read her pathetic little letter, I put it in the shredder,” Giuseppe taunts, his eyes glittering with malice and Damon storms out of the office, letting out a yell of frustration. He’d love to get his father back, sock him in the face and see how he likes being hit but he’s not about to end up in jail. He can hear Stefan following quickly, his footsteps echoing in the hallway.

“Damon. Damon! Whatever you’re about to do, don’t--”

“I’m not going to do anything,” Damon snarls, “I’m only doing what I should’ve done a long time ago. _ Leaving  _ this hellhole.”

“Damon, come on--”

“What on earth do you think you can say to convince me to stay?” Damon whirls around, getting up in Stefan’s face. “Bonnie has been convinced this  _ whole _ time that I abandoned her, that I abandoned my daughter! I’m not going to stand it anymore, being put down and smacked around. I’m leaving. In fact, you should leave too.”

“Damon, I don’t know…” 

“Stef, if you’re alone with him...I’m the one he doesn’t like. Elena’s family would be more than happy to have you. You need to leave before he finds some way to ruin you too,” Damon urges him harshly, and Stefan just stares at the ground. Damon lets out a frustrated sigh, leaving Stefan in the hallway and goes up to his room.

**OCTOBER 2009**

Damon twirled Bonnie around, watching her laugh delightedly as Marvin Gaye played in the background. He pulled her back to him, kissing her and sliding his hands down her backside. 

“We’re going to get kicked out by the teachers,” Bonnie mused against his mouth, smiling and he rolled his eyes. 

“You would have thought they’d have already done that, considering a college guy is at a high school dance,” he retorted, and she laughed. 

“I’ll be sure to complain to the school after, tell them to watch out for creepy older guys skulking around school dances,” she commented lightly, her eyes dancing with amusement; he dipped her, relishing the surprise in her face and brought her back up, kissing her hungrily.

He always liked the way she kissed him back, how she seemed surprised every time and was just as eager. It was intoxicating, the way her peachy lip gloss tasted and how she always smelled like lavender, how her touch always seemed to relax him. He could never get enough of her. She pushed away from him lightly, her lips looking swollen and her eyes looked half-lidded; he licked his lips, moving in again but she stopped him with a smile. 

“I need a drink,” she said simply, and he fake pouted; she rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand and leading them away from the dance floor. He saw Stefan standing alone while Caroline and Elena talked happily, and reluctantly decided he should go keep his brother company for a couple minutes. 

“I’m gonna go talk to Stef,” Damon said in Bonnie’s ear, kissing her again and she smiled softly, nodding. He watched her walk over to Elena and Caroline, joining their conversation and went over to Stefan, who was smiling lightly at him. 

“Having a good time, Damon?” Stefan jested playfully, and Damon smirked. 

“Of course I am, little brother. I’m with the hottest girl in this place,” Damon responded, watching Stefan roll his eyes. 

“I can’t remember the last time I saw you in a relationship that lasted over two months. Unless, of course, you count flirting with someone,” Stefan added casually, and Damon grimaced; he’d stopped flirting with Elena a few months ago, growing bored of antagonizing his brother and didn’t enjoy being envious of their relationship. They hadn’t ever talked about it, Damon preferred not to anyway but of course Stefan would want to have a heart-to-heart. 

“Look, it was stupid and Katherine was the evil slut, not you. I shouldn’t have gotten back at you like that. I thought Elena looked a little like Katherine too, which probably didn’t help,” Damon said curtly, glancing at Stefan quickly and noticed the baffled expression on his face. 

“She doesn’t look like Katherine.” 

“Maybe to you. Like I said, it was stupid and I was being an idiot, okay?” 

“Okay. I’m happy for you and Bonnie, you guys are good together. Don’t mess it up,” Stefan winked at him, before straightening up and looking behind Damon; he felt a hand snake up his arm, a pointy chin tucked on his shoulder. 

“Ready to get back on the dancefloor?” Bonnie asked, and he turned his head, smiling down at her. 

“Let’s go,” he smirked, letting her lead him back out to dance.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Damon knocks on the door quietly, unsure if Lila is sleeping or not. He can see Bonnie’s silhouette through the curtain, opening the door slowly and takes in her puffy cheeks and red-rimmed eyes; she has her phone to her ear, clearly talking to someone. 

“I need to go, Lucy. I’ll talk to you later,” Bonnie says into the phone, staring at Damon and hangs up. Her eyes flicker to his bags in hand, swinging back up to his face with confusion. “Sorry, I was talking to my cousin. Is everything okay?”

“I need to explain everything to you. Can I come in?” he asks quietly, and she nods, opening the door wider and he steps inside, setting his bags down and sits down in the front room. She sits in a loveseat opposite him, watching him curiously and he takes a deep breath. 

“I never got your letter. When you dropped off that letter, I wasn’t even home, my car was there because I’d gone with Stefan in his car to the store. My father found it, read it and got rid of it,” he explains, his voice cracking on the last part and she nods slowly. 

“I kind of figured. Can...can I ask why he never told you? I mean, I can guess why but I never really knew your father that well.”

“I never really understood him all that well, but I think he wanted to protect his reputation, and didn't want his work colleagues to know that his son had a baby at nineteen. He said he saved me or whatever, but he only cared about his own ass.”

“I’m sorry, I know your relationship wasn’t the greatest but he was still your father.” 

“And to his own blood,” Damon shakes his head in disgust, “His first grandkid, and he tossed Lila away like garbage. Made you believe I’d abandoned you.” 

“I know...so, what are you doing to do?”

“Well, I’m not going back. I’m so sick of his shit, I’m tired of him putting me down and taunting me. This was the last straw. I’m not going back to work, hopefully he’ll fire me once I don’t show and I’ll get a severance package. I have a little bit of money, some that my mother left me as well and I’ll get back on my feet,” Damon explains, and Bonnie’s jaw drops slightly, looking shocked. 

“Damon, I mean…” she lets out an incredulous laugh, “You don’t have to do this, I know how much you rely on your father. He put you through school, gave you a job and I mean, look at your house! Even your car, I mean you told me that it was a gift from him! I don’t blame you, not even if you go back to him.”

“I’m tired of him controlling me. I don’t need him, I never have. I even came here in a cab, the car is back at the house. He would’ve seized it anyway if I did take it.”

“You’re serious about this?” 

“Of course I am. I’ve always wanted to leave, and I finally have good reason to do that. Now I have a really shitty question to ask.”

“Erm...okay?”

“I need a place to stay for awhile. I know tomorrow I might wake up with your dad pointing a shotgun in my face, but I don’t exactly have anywhere else to go. It’s just for awhile, I swear and then I’ll figure out everything,” he explains, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice but fortunately Bonnie nods. 

“Of course. I’ll set you up in my dad’s office, I’m pretty sure there’s a mattress in there,” she rises from her seat. “Just make sure to be quiet, Lila’s sleeping.”

Damon grabs his bags, following her upstairs and into a small light blue room with a large desk and multiple shelves. She opens the closet, pulling out a foldable mattress and lays it out the ground. 

“Make yourself comfortable, okay? I’m just going to get some linen for the bed,” she says, walking back down the hall and he sets his bags down on the desk, noticing a picture frame. 

He picks it up, looking closely at a photo of Bonnie holding a newborn Lila in a hospital room. Bonnie’s beaming widely, her eyes shining happily and her hair looks a little damp, a light sheen of sweat across her forehead; Lila’s wrapped up in blankets, clearly sleeping and there’s a little tuft of dark brown hair. He can hear Bonnie’s footsteps approach the room, dropping the linen on the bed. 

“Did your dad take this?” he asks, still staring at the picture frame. 

“I think Lucy did, actually,” she replies softly, and he can hear her unfolding the bedsheets, making the bed for him. He can’t ignore the waves of guilt that keeps rushing over him, knowing that he’s missed all these moments and her thinking that he had abandoned her. He knows she hasn’t really been honest with him about how hard it was, her crying was the only real indication besides a few pained looks. He has to make up for it. He’ll spend the rest of his life making up for it.

**NOVEMBER 2009**

Damon walked into the Grille, rolling his eyes at the boisterous laughs of obnoxious teenagers; he didn’t understand why Stefan had decided on a public party this year, last year’s family dinner had been a good enough celebration, even though Lexi and Elena had joined them as well. It was one of the rare times when his father would be somewhat pleasant, and he thought Stefan would want to have the whole happy family dinner again. He patted the little box in his pocket instinctively, checking to make sure it was still there as he looked around the room for Bonnie; he spotted her near the bar, talking to Lexi.  _ Oh joy.  _ Damon walked over to them, pressing his hand to Bonnie’s back and a kiss on her cheek, shooting Lexi a smirk. 

“Hey Damon,” Lexi said, giving him a sarcastic smile and Bonnie glanced between them with amusement. “I’ve just been talking to Bonnie, I cannot believe you finally got a girlfriend that’s attracted to something other than your dick.”

“Always a ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” Damon countered, and Lexi rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 

“I better go find Lee. It was really nice to finally meet you, Bonnie. Damon, don’t let this one go,” Lexi warned him, winking at Bonnie and sauntered off. 

“She was nice. I like her,” Bonnie announced, “I noticed she’s not your biggest fan.”

“Really? What gave you that impression?” he asked innocently, smiling slightly as she rolled her eyes. 

“Well, besides your little exchange, when I introduced myself to her, she already knew we were dating and asked me immediately if I was under contract to say that or recently had a lobotomy.”

“That sounds like Lexi. Listen, I have something for you. A gift.”

“A gift? Isn’t it Stefan’s birthday?” Bonnie teased, her eyes alight with mischief and he shrugs casually, keeping his face aloof. 

“Little brother has everything he needs. Besides, it’s for our three month anniversary. Why wouldn’t I get you something for that?”

“Probably because no one celebrates three month anniversaries, unless of course, you’re a player with dozens of ex-girlfriends.”

“Maybe I should just return your gift, no one likes a creep anyway…”

“No, no, you’ve got me hooked now! Come on, let’s see it,” Bonnie laughed, tugging on his arm lightly; he tampered down a smile threatening to bloom on his face, taking the box out of his pocket and handed it to her. She took it gently, giving him a bright smile and opened the box gingerly; he shifted in anticipation, trying to gauge her reaction. It was the first time that he’d really put any thought into a gift for a girlfriend, he just hoped that he hadn’t fucked up majorly. 

“Damon...it’s beautiful,” Bonnie breathed out softly, holding up a heart-shaped pendant necklace with a green jewel carved out in the middle. 

“I thought it was nice, it matches your grandmother’s ring. I know it’s not the same, but it might be good to have a bit of a set,” Damon replied nonchalantly, watching Bonnie clip it on around her neck, touching the heart gently with a soft smile. 

“I love it. Thank you,” she said, her face aglow with happiness and Damon leaned down to kiss her hungrily, wanting to capture her radiance just a little longer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you'd like, I'd love to hear your opinions on the story or on TVD.


	5. 5. You were probably too busy paying attention to the leggy ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Ok On Your Own by mxmtoon ft. Carly Rae Jepsen (Bonnie’s present POV)  
> \- Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri (Bonnie’s flashbacks)  
> \- Lie To Me by Tate McRae and Ali Gatie (Damon’s present POV)  
> \- All My Life by M-Ci and Jojo (Damon’s flashbacks)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- The story will start to cover Bonnie's pregnancy, I have no kids and don't intend for the next 10 years at least. I've had to use the internet, so once again: not entirely accurate.  
> \- I find it really interesting that so far (at this point in time anyway) no one has asked why Bonnie sent a letter instead of telling Damon in person...answers will be delivered...
> 
> \- Flashbacks are different this chapter; it'll be 3 flashbacks for Bonnie, and 1 for Damon
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, or the characters. 
> 
> ...trust me, I would never make dullena endgame and give the other characters basically nothing (let's be real here, no one besides dullena actually got a happy ending)

**DECEMBER 2009**

Bonnie let out a frustrated yell, taking off her shirt in anger and dug through her closet again. Lately it felt like she would spend fifteen minutes just trying on clothes, attempting to button up her jeans and adjusting her tops, all of which felt as if they'd magically shrunk in some way. She finally found a cream knit sweater, putting it on with a huff and started to apply some makeup.

Bonnie frowned at her undereye bags, noticing how pronounced they'd become in the past couple weeks and applied more concealer. She'd been feeling more tired than usual, sometimes falling asleep on the couch while studying and it didn't help that once she'd wake up early due to waves of nausea and would end up vomiting in the toilet. She'd stayed home for a couple days from school, but by 9 a.m. she'd feel fine; her teachers had been piling up more work since it was the holidays so she'd gone back to school anyway, but every morning she had to endure feeling gross and tired.

It was now the holidays at least, so she could relax and her dad would be coming home in the evening, which was nice so she wouldn't be spending Christmas alone. Damon had come back last night from school too, she was planning to surprise him today as an early gift, since he was under the impression that she was spending the day with her dad; he would always surprise her on weekends, standing on the porch with a shit-eating grin and occasionally a bouquet of flowers so she wanted to repay the favour for once. Bonnie descended the stairs quickly, skipping to the kitchen and turned on the radio, letting the sounds of commercials fill the room. She opened the fridge, wrinkling her nose at the different smells drifting out and quickly shut it, the nauseous feeling fading in her belly. She settled instead for some toast, putting some bread in the toaster and went over to the radio to change the station.

"...Always has the best pads for you! They're flexible, easy to use and guaranteed to last for up to 12 hours!" a loud smooth voice said, and Bonnie frowned. She could barely remember the last time she'd gotten her period, it must've been a couple months ago. Bonnie shook her head, changing the station; there was no way she was pregnant, her and Damon always used protection. Protection isn't 100% effective though, a voice chirped in her head.

But she'd know if she was pregnant, it would be obvious! She would have symptoms, and they'd have to be consistent...like vomiting, weight gain, nausea, fatigue and odd reactions to certain foods. All the things she'd been feeling for the past couple weeks, she realized with a sense of dread.

"Oh my god," she choked out, panic rising in her throat. The toaster finally popped, and she got out some peanut butter, spreading it on with trembling hands as she tried to steady her breaths. She just needed a plan, it was still a possibility that she was sick but she needed to be sure. Needed reassurance that there was no baby growing inside her, that everything would be okay and it was all a fluke. She'd go to the store, buy a couple tests and go to Damon's so he could be there, so they could laugh about it together when the tests would show up as negative. There was no way she was pregnant, it couldn't happen she assured herself, shoving her toast in her mouth and running out the door with some cash and her keys.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Bonnie takes another bite out of her apple, scrolling through Instagram while a Rihanna song plays in the background; Damon had taken Lila out for the day to the Mystic Falls pool, giving Bonnie a day off from parenting. She knows he's feeling guilty about everything that had happened, and being with Lila would help him focus on something other than feeling angry and guilty. She'd had a talk with Lucy last night just before he came, which had been tough but ultimately made her feel better. She knows there were still questions that needed to be answered, but she's dreading hearing the answers; she'd booked an appointment at a spa for noon, so hopefully that would help her unwind a little. The doorbell rings and she groans, walking to the front expecting to see a sheepish Damon that had forgotten something; instead she opens the door to find the other brother standing on her porch, a smile on his face and two coffees in hand.

"Hey, Stefan! I'm sorry but Damon isn't here, he took Lila to the pool for the day," she says apologetically.

"Actually, I'm here to see you. Is it okay if I come in?" Stefan asks kindly, and she opens the door, gesturing inside, "I got you a latte...Elena told me you like them best, so."

"Thank you. Let's go into the TV room, we can talk there," Bonnie walks with him to the couch, sitting down with him and watching him examine the room and the toys scattered on the floor.

"So, how's Damon been doing?" he asks, fiddling with his coffee cup nervously.

"Damon is...well, Damon. I know he's feeling guilty and angry, it's all still fresh and I think he's still trying to process everything. What about your dad, how's he doing?"

"Oh, well, he's convinced that Damon will be back within a week. I don't know if he's seen that Damon has cleaned out his room or left his car here, but yeah. I'm not so sure, though. What about your dad? Is he okay with Damon here?"

"Uh, well...he's still in North Carolina for work, hasn't been home yet but I called him last night after Damon came over, explained everything. He's...I mean, it's hard to let go of a grudge you thought was real for more than three years. Damon can stay, but I think it'll be awhile before the ice thaws out," Bonnie jokes a little, taking a sip of her latte and Stefan smiles.

"Yeah, I guess that's expected. Listen, uh, the reason I came here is because I wanted to apologize to you," Bonnie blinks, surprised at Stefan's words. She knows that Stefan is a people-pleaser and it's hard to see your family fractured; she was half-expecting him to ask her if there's a chance Damon would talk to Giuseppe again, but not this.

"Apologize for what? You haven't done anything," she replies kindly, but he shakes his head with a conflicted expression.

"I know, but...I don't know, I should've done more. I could've reached out to you, or pushed Damon harder to contact you, then you wouldn't have had to raise Lila by yourself for the past three years. Even though Damon is my brother, you're my friend too and have always been a good one. I'm sorry, I should've done more to help you."

"Hey, there's no need to apologize. You couldn't have known, and you were supporting Damon, you and I both know how hard that job can be. Plus, I wasn't alone. I'd wish so badly that he could've been with me, that I'd known that he hadn't gotten the letter but I was never by myself. I have friends and family in Atlanta who love me and have supported me, my Aunt Emily and cousin Lucy were always there to help me. My friendship with Caroline and Elena has only grown stronger, even though they were miles away they felt like my biggest cheerleaders. Even my dad, who never used to be home for more than a week, stayed with me for five months to help me. I was never by myself."

"Bonnie...you don't need to make me feel better, I mean-"

"Look, it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. I wasn't some super mom, I can't tell you how many times I cried in the bathroom after a shitty day. It was really hard without Damon, not having him be around for all of Lila's milestones and I won't lie, I broke down a lot during the pregnancy. It took me a long time to realize this, but for some reason I can't regret the past three years, I can't wish I didn't have the things it gave me. And _you_ are not responsible for any of it."

"I really am sorry."

"And I really hope you know that there's no need to apologize," Bonnie says gently, patting his arm lightly and Stefan gives her a sheepish smile. "You know, I should actually be apologizing to you."

Stefan raises his eyebrows, looking a little amused now. "Oh? What for?"

"About you and Elena. I asked her not to say anything about the pregnancy, not even to you because you're a good guy."

"That...sounds really misleading," Stefan remarks, and Bonnie laughs.

"No, no, it's just that if you knew then you'd encourage Damon to do the right thing, probably continually bug and hound him. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't want him to come out of obligation. You know, my parents got married only out of obligation, and look at what happened between them. I didn't want Lila to go through anything remotely similar to my childhood, I didn't want her to know the feeling of being unwanted. Of course, this was before I realized he'd never found out that I was pregnant. Anyways, what I'm trying to say, is if you're angry at Elena, don't be. She was just trying to be a good friend to me, and you should know that she pressured me many times to actually call Damon or be honest. She even asked me numerous times if she could tell you, and I was the one who said no. Don't be angry at her, this was all me."

"No, I...I understand both your reasons for not telling me, I get it. We've talked it through, don't worry."

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys fight or strain your relationship, that was never my intention. I should've put more consideration into her position with you about this whole thing, it wasn't fair to you or Elena."

"You were doing what you thought was best for you and Lila. Like you said, Elena was being a good friend and I can't blame you for taking care of your kid."

"You shouldn't give me a free pass just because I'm a parent, that's no excuse."

"As opposed to what? Excusing me for being the brother of the father of your child?" Stefan counters, and they both chuckle a little. "Damon would be rolling his eyes at both of us right now."

Bonnie smiles, ducking her head for a moment. "Yeah, he probably would be."

"So, will Damon go to Atlanta with you and Lila?" Bonnie blinks, startled by the question and Stefan looks a little amused now.

"I mean...we haven't really talked about it, he's been here not even a day yet and I'm still processing everything, we both are," Bonnie stutters lamely, ignoring Stefan's raised eyebrows.

"Right. I think he'll go," Stefan replies casually, grinning slightly at Bonnie's stunned expression.

"No, Stefan, I don't...Mystic Falls is his home! You're here, Damon wants to look out for you, he wouldn't leave you."

"Of course, because it's not like I'm an adult who knows how to take care of myself. I can't imagine why Damon would want to be with his daughter and you," Stefan remarks sarcastically, and Bonnie rolls her eyes.

"You sound like Damon."

"You're deflecting. That's also a classic Damon move."

"Touché...okay, I see how I'm being an idiot, you're right, obviously he'd want to be with Lila."

"And you."

"Okay sure, come on, Stef, not funny," Bonnie says sharply, shaking her head adamantly but Stefan gives her a knowing smile.

"Bonnie, Damon has not been in any meaningful relationship since you left. I don't think he's ever really gotten over you."

"Stefan, no, it's been three and a half years! He...he doesn't like me, we've both changed, we're different people."

"Look, I'm not saying you owe him a date or anything. It's just, I know Damon and I remember him when you guys were together. He's not over it...maybe you aren't either," Stefan adds in slyly, taking a big gulp of coffee and Bonnie presses her lips together firmly.

She tries to slow down her racing heart, beating down her hopes quickly; we've already been down this road, she chides herself. They're just co-parents, that was the plan from the beginning. He doesn't want that, and there's no point in wishing that he did either. After all, she was just a placeholder for him, not someone that he actually wanted to be with.

**DECEMBER 2009**

Bonnie sat in her car, staring up at Damon's house anxiously; she knew she had to go in, wanted to get the tests over with but she felt paralyzed in her seat. What was she going to do if it was positive? Her dad would be so angry, he'd always thought of her as his responsible daughter who never caused any trouble, maybe he'd kick her out when she told him. And what about school? Bonnie didn't want to waddle around the hallways with a ginormous baby bump, getting stares from her friends and classmates; it's a small town, everywhere she'd go, everyone would know who she was and how she was going to be a teen mom. She'd have to put her education on hold to raise it, who knew if Mystic Falls High School even catered to the schedule of a mother. If the test was positive, her and Damon would figure it out, she reassured herself; she had him, they would get through it together.

Bonnie finally stepped out of the car, walking to the side door of the house; Damon had told her in the past that the door was usually unlocked, that's how he'd sneak in and out, and it's not like anything dangerous ever happens in Mystic Falls. She slipped in quietly, taking off her boots and tiptoed out of the little mudroom, walking softly through the hallways; she didn't want to accidentally run into Stefan, or worse, Damon's father. Bonnie heard voices from the kitchen, and she tiptoed slowly next to the door, listening to hear if Damon was in there.

"Damon…" she heard Elena say, sounding gentle yet firm at the same time. She frowned, inching her ear closer to the door but made sure not to reveal herself just yet.

"No, just let me say this. Watching you and Stefan felt like torture, seeing the way you looked at each other. I wanted you, I wanted your love and for you to look at me with the same love you show for Stefan," Damon said, and Bonnie backed away from the door, feeling dizzy; she could hear Damon's words repeating over and over in her head.

"I would use girls to distract myself, to find some way to stamp down all these awful feelings but it never worked. If I could've had you, then it would have been worth the hurt it caused," Damon continued, and Bonnie turned away from the door, walking away softly to the side door. Her head was spinning, she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. How could she have been so oblivious to the truth? It was never her, it was always about Elena. She could feel tears spring to her eyes, threatening to spill over like water in a dam.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" she muttered, getting into her car and pulled out of the driveway. She drove silently away from the manor, her eyes feeling glassy for the tears until she pulled over on an empty country road. She turned off the ignition, sitting there numbly for a moment until she hit the steering wheel angrily. "Fuck! You idiot! You stupid fucking idiot!"

She hit the steering wheel again, over and over as the tears finally streamed down her face; an awful cry escaped her throat, making her sound like a wounded animal and she ducked her head, her tears dripping onto her pants and her Grams' ring had fallen off her finger onto the floor, but she didn't bother picking it up. She really believed that she had him. The truth was that she had no one.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

"Your dad is okay with it? I was so sure you'd call me in hysterics, talking about how your father went beserk over something stupid you and Damon did," Lucy says teasingly through the phone. Damon volunteered to put Lila to bed, and Bonnie's dad is still unpacking after coming back from North Carolina. Lucy's been wanting details about what's going on ever since Damon learned he never got her letter, so she's been texting Bonnie constantly for updates until she finally called.

"He's still coming to terms with the situation, but he isn't hostile I guess. He said hi when he came home, asked Lila if she and Damon were having fun playing, I think it'll be okay eventually."

"That's good at least. So everything's out in the open now? Cat's out of the bag?"

"Um...for the most part, yeah."

"Bonnie, what the hell does 'for the most part' mean? What haven't you told Damon?" Bonnie can practically see Lucy narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms sternly.

"I don't know if I'm ready to learn the truth about him and Elena," Bonnie admits quietly, and Lucy sighs.

"Bon, I know it's a hard conversation but you need to be fully honest in order to move on. Holding onto this won't do you any good, especially if you guys are really going to be co-parents. Tell him what you heard, be strong and honest. The sooner you do it, the better, okay?"

"Yeah, I know you're right. I'm just scared."

"Don't be. You're a Bennett, and Bennett women don't take shit from anyone."

"I hope that's true. Or maybe I'm just a coward like my mom, running away from my issues."

"It's not too late to fix that."

Bonnie hears someone coming down the stairs, sitting up so she could peek into the hallway and sees a slightly harassed Damon walking towards her.

"Hey, I should go now, Damon's back from putting Lila to bed."

"Okay, we'll talk another time. Don't forget what I said, Bon. Sooner than later."

"Bye Lucy."

"Okay, she's finally down," Damon announces, collapsing on the couch.

"You were up there for a while, everything okay? Was she refusing to go to bed?"

"Storytime just took a little longer, that's all," Damon replies dismissively, and Bonnie raises an eyebrow.

"The books are only ten pages, and it's just two books for bedtime? How could it take longer?" Bonnie asks, a little suspicious at Damon's sudden silence.

"Okay, well maybe we read four books instead of two," he admits after a minute, and Bonnie giggles.

"Manipulated by a toddler, wow."

"Hey, four stories won't hurt. It's her birthday, too!"

"Technically her birthday is on friday."

"Okay, okay, momentary lapse of judgement."

"Hmph. Also, Stefan came to see me today."

"Oh?"

"Just to see how we were doing, that's all. Throw in an apology, you know him."

"Typical Stef. I bet my father is convinced that I'm going to come crawling back."

Bonnie doesn't answer, peering at a magazine on the coffee table and hears Damon scoff hotly, kicking his feet up on the table.

"You know it won't bother me if you do go back. I know what's he done for you," Bonnie offers tentatively.

"I also know that everything he has done for me is only in his best interest. He burned the letter, so I'm burning my bridges with him."

"Okay."

"Also, I wanted to ask you about something else you said after, er, Lila's party," Damon asks lightly, and Bonnie tenses, looking back up at Damon who's staring at her with a neutral expression, but she can tell that it's been circling his mind for a while. "You said a bunch of stuff about not being worth it and being used? Why would you say that? It's not like I've been using you as an incubator."

Bonnie swallows nervously, she should've known that Damon would ask. Lucy said they needed to have this talk, and here's the opportunity to let it all out; here comes the guilty looks and countless apologies.

"Um...I explained it in the letter why, but obviously you didn't receive it, so…" Bonnie trails off awkwardly, but Damon is only staring more intently and she feels trapped.

"Iheryoutelllenathatyouwanbewithher," the words rush out of her mouth quickly, and she's averting her eyes from his gaze now. She takes a deep breath, tucking her trembling hands under her thighs. "I heard you tell Elena that you wanted to be with her."

"Why…" she can feel his frustration growing, taking over the room, "Why would I say that to her? I had you."

"Damon, come on. I heard you and her in the kitchen, the morning after you came back from school for the holidays, in your second year. I heard what you said to her," Bonnie explains shakily, glancing up quickly to give him a weak smile.

"What are you talking...oh. When I'd come back from school last night, and you told me that your dad was already home, so you couldn't come see me."

"I was going to surprise you. But then I thought I might be pregnant that morning so I drove to the store, bought a couple tests and went over to your house so I could take them with you, that way we'd both either laugh or freak out about it. I heard you talking to her in the kitchen, basically saying a love confession," Bonnie explains, trying to keep her voice steady and her eyes feeling hot, "That's also why I sent you a letter. I couldn't face you, not in person and not even over the phone. I could've emailed, but that felt stupid at the time and texting isn't what it used to be."

"So, you thought that I was telling Elena that I wanted to be with her," Damon states flatly, and Bonnie nods, staring down at the floor.

"I mean, it is what it is, right? It's not your fault or hers," Bonnie replies quickly, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice, "Anyways, I'm tired. I'm going upstairs to bed, we don't need to talk about this anymore."

Bonnie practically hops up from the couch, walking away quickly and up to her room; she'll face the pitying stares and apologies tomorrow.

**DECEMBER 2009**

Bonnie placed the pregnancy test next to the other one, letting out a shaky breath and pulling up her pants, washing her trembling hands and Caroline's tapping foot echoed through the bathroom. She'd called Caroline after driving away from Damon's house and breaking down in her car; she hadn't wanted to take the test alone, and she figured that Caroline was probably the best company for it.

"I mean, maybe you aren't pregnant and it's just irregular...some girls don't get their periods for a couple months and it's just natural, doesn't mean a baby," Caroline suggested, giving Bonnie a reassuring smile.

"Care, how many of those girls are having sex? We used a condom, but even that's not 100% effective…" Bonne replied sharply, trying not to let the anxiety creep into her voice and she hopped up on the washroom counter, eyeing the pregnancy tests that were still evaluating the results.

"What are you going to do if it is positive?"

"I don't know...I haven't even decided if I want to have kids. God, I'm such an idiot, how could I have been so stupid! And what about my dad? He's going to be so angry, what if my dad kicks me out?" Bonnie whimpers, feeling an incoming wave of fresh tears and Caroline stood up to hug her tightly.

"Then I will force my mom to let you stay here! You don't have to do this alone, I'm here. Screw Damon! I can't believe he said that to Elena...god, what a dick. He almost convinced me even that he wasn't such a jerk," Caroline sniffed, rubbing Bonnie's back lightly.

"Care, I really don't want to talk about D-Damon…"

"Okay...but ugh, really, Elena?! She should've shut down his little love confession, or given him a nice kick to the balls!"

"Caroline, please. I don't want to talk about Elena either...and I don't want either of them to know I heard it. I know Elena loves Stefan, but I can't be a placeholder for Damon, I don't want either of their pity. You _cannot_ say anything to either of them about any of this, okay? Promise me," Bonnie said firmly, pushing Caroline back to stare at her pleadingly; she looked conflicted for a moment, biting her lip nervously but Bonnie squeezed her hand beseechingly.

"Okay! Okay, I won't say anything. But you should at least give Damon the chance to know about the baby if there is one, okay?"

"Yeah...yeah, you're right. If...If I am pregnant, you're going to be the best aunt ever."

"Of course I will be," she smiled, glancing at the tests, "Do you think it's okay to check now?"

Bonnie swallowed, glancing at the tests quickly and tried to shove down the dread growing in her throat. She felt sick again, her stomach was bubbling nervously and she felt light-headed all of a sudden.

"Can you check? I don't think I can look," Bonnie said weakly, and Caroline nodded. Bonnie watched her peer down at the tests, her face becoming mask-like as she read the results and then looked back up at Bonnie.

"So?" Bonnie managed to say, watching Caroline anxiously.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Damon glances at the kitchen doorway again for the eighth time, waiting for Bonnie to come down to breakfast. Lila's quietly munching on some cereal, still a little groggy; he didn't sleep very well, he kept replaying Bonnie's words over and over in his head, remembering the way she looked when she explained everything. Normally she's by now, but Damon is pretty sure she's putting off coming down. Damon hears footsteps in the hallway, looking up and trying to appear casual but it's just Bonnie's dad; he nods at Damon curtly, preparing himself a cup of coffee and the doorbell rings. Bonnie's dad looks at Damon accusingly, but Damon just shrugs and her dad goes to get the door; he can hear someone talking, stepping inside the house and walking down the hallway.

"Hi Lila!" Caroline exclaims, and Damon watches an excited Caroline skip over to Lila, pressing a kiss to her cheek and tickling her belly lightly.

"Auntie Care!" Lila cheers, grinning and Caroline gives Damon a cautious smile.

"Hi Damon. Bonnie and I are going out today, so you'll be spending the day with Lila," Caroline explains tentatively, eyeing him for some kind of reaction but he just gives her a tense smile.

"Great, thanks for letting me know."

"Of course," Caroline moves closer to him, lowering her head, "You better have a damn good apology planned out. After playing Bonnie like that all those years ago, I should hear tomorrow that you were on the ground, practically groveling at her feet."

"Bonnie doesn't have all the facts about what I told Elena that day," Damon replies darkly under his breath, and Caroline gives him an unimpressed look.

"Well, _I_ was the one beside her when she took the pregnancy test, not you and I saw how hard it was for her without you there. Save the facts or whatever for her, Damon."

"You knew the whole time that was why she sent a letter, didn't you," Damon states flatly under his breath, glancing at Lila who's oblivious to their tense conversation.

"I was keeping my promise to her not to say anything. She's my best friend," Caroline whispers fiercely, and immediately jumps away from Damon at the sound of footsteps approaching. Bonnie peeks into the kitchen, a small smile on her face and Caroline pastes a big beam on her face.

"Are you ready for a girls day?" Caroline squeals, bouncing forward to hug her.

"Of course, I'm all set," Bonnie answers, walking over to Lila, "I'm going out with Auntie Care for the day, but you're going to be a good girl, right Lila baby?"

"Yes, mommy," Lila chirps, letting Bonnie press a kiss to her cheek and Bonnie turns to Damon.

"I'll be home later in the afternoon, okay? Let me know if there's any problems," Bonnie tells him, smiling but not quite looking him in the eye.

"Okay," Damon responds; as much as he'd love to sit her down and tell her she's wrong or call her a coward, he's not about to do that in front of Lila, and especially not in front of Caroline. He watches them both leave, sighing and realizes Lila has finally finished breakfast.

"Damon, can I watch TV, please?" Lila asks, sticking out her bottom lip with wide eyes. Damon picks her up, walking over to the living room and sets her down on the couch as she claps happily.

"Just one episode of Doc McStuffins, then we play," Damon declares firmly, and Lila nods her head as he puts on an episode for her. She's already enraptured by the TV, and he heads back into the kitchen to clean up their breakfast.

Unfortunately, he knows that Caroline has a point about giving a good explanation; he just needs her to know that he's telling the truth, and he hasn't been playing with her. He doesn't have many people to turn to, but Stefan is well-versed in the act of being all mushy and sentimental with his words; he opens his phone, scrolling to Stefan's number and presses the phone against his ear.

"Damon, hey," Stefan says, sounding a little surprised and he can hear someone murmuring in the background; hopefully it's not his father.

"Little brother, I need your advice on something."

"Nothing bad, I hope."

"More of a misunderstanding. You see, three and a half years ago, before Bonnie left, me and your little girlfriend had a chat that Bonnie overheard, and Bonnie believes she heard a love confession from me to Elena. However, I made no such confession and I need a way for Bonnie to know that without messing my explanation up," Damon explains, the line going silent for a couple moments and he waits expectantly for Stefan's response.

"Damon, you're on speaker now...er, Elena is here too."

"Damon, what are you talking about? What does Bonnie think she heard?" Elena pipes up urgently, and Damon grimaces slightly.

"Remember, it was about four christmases ago, right before Bonnie left? Me and you were in the kitchen, you asked about some pathetic thing I said to you on New Years, I think."

"Oh god...and this whole time she thought you actually had feelings for me, not for her. I need to call her, I need to explain-"

"Not before I do. Elena, you can make up with her later but let me fix this, okay?"

"Okay...okay, fine. You better be explaining it today!"

"I will. Now can I resume my conversation with Stefan?"

**DECEMBER 2009**

Damon drank his coffee silently, staring out the window and feeling a little broody; he'd just gotten back from school, hoping to do a movie night or something with Bonnie but her dad had finally decided to come home. He knew Bonnie was always happy to see her dad and wanted to spend as much time with him as she could, but he'd hoped to see her today. He'd even bought some silly mistletoe gift for her to laugh at, but it would have to wait another day.

"Morning, Damon," Elena said, walking into the room with a smile and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Morning. Where's Stefan?" Damon asked gruffly, still looking out the window.

"In the shower. Where's Bonnie? I thought she would be here."

"Her dad came home today, so she's spending time with him today."

"Hmm, that's good. She's probably happy he's back. Did you buy her christmas gift already? The first Christmas as a couple is can be a dealbreaker," Elena teased lightly, and Damon scoffed.

"Of course I already got her gift. However, it is a surprise and you cannot be trusted as her friend."

"Damn. Oh well, I'm sure she'll like it. Things seem to be going good for you guys, I'm happy for you two."

"Why is that the hundredth time I've heard that in the past few months?" Damon remarked, and Elena rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her coffee. They drank in silence for a few moments, Elena looking thoughtful and Damon is still watching the snow fall outside the window.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot," Damon replied dismissively.

"On New Year's Eve, you asked me if I could ever look at you the way I look at Stefan. I always thought you were just flirting with me to make Stefan angry, but he wasn't even around when you said it. Why did you say it? I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I'm just curious. You didn't really have any reason to say it," Elena finished, watching him closely and he sucked in a breath. It had been a pretty low moment for him, and just plain dumb at that.

"It was a stupid thing to say. But I said it...because I was jealous," Damon admits, watching Elena's face fall and start to shut down.

"Damon…" Elena started to say, but he cut her off.

"No, just let me say this. Watching you and Stefan felt like torture, seeing the way you looked at each other. I wanted you, I wanted your love and for you to look at me with the same love you show for Stefan. I would use girls to distract myself, to find some way to stamp down all these awful feelings but it never worked. But if I could've had you, then it would have been worth the hurt it caused. I would feel miserable and jealous, seeing how in love you two are. But I wasn't jealous of Stefan. I was jealous of your relationship, how at ease you were with each other and maybe a little that he was happy, since I was a part of his problems at the time. I convinced myself that you were the key to having that kind of love and it could fix all of my issues, the same way it seemed to happen to Stefan. I thought I needed you to have that love, but I don't."

"Because you have Bonnie," Elena finished for him with a smile, and he nodded.

"Because I have Bonnie. I thought maybe you could give me that love, and convinced myself for a moment that it made you special. I know now that that's not the way love works, it's about finding the right person, the one that makes it worth it and that makes you feel something that no one else can even match. Stefan is the person for you. And Bonnie is the one for me," Damon finished, a flicker of a smile on his face.

"I'm glad you figured it out, Damon. You deserve love, and I agree, Bonnie is the one to give you that. I know she's just as happy as you are in this relationship."

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Damon glances at the baby monitor again, listening to see if Lila's awake yet and flips the page of his book. After a particularly active morning outside following Doc McStuffins, Lila got cranky and tired so he put her down for a nap. He's sitting in the loveseat in Bonnie's room, waiting for her to come back; he figured it was the best way for him to talk to her. He thinks he hears a car outside on the street, but he just keeps reading and waits. The front door slams shut, and he can hear the stairs creaking as someone comes up. He looks up expectantly, listening to the approaching footsteps and watches the door open, Bonnie jumping at the sight of Damon in her room.

"Oh my god! Jesus...Damon, you scared me," Bonnie breaths out, clutching her chest with wide eyes.

"Sorry," he answers lightly, "I put Lila down for a nap, she was really tired and cranky. I wanted to talk to you, finish our conversation from last night."

"Damon, I'd rather not...I'm not mad, let's just move on from it."

"We can move on when I explain what really happened, because you didn't hear our whole conversation. You can take this with a grain of salt if you want, I can't make you believe me but I can try anyway," he explains vehemently, and she nods quietly, sitting down on her bed gingerly, "Okay. What you heard was definitely _not_ a love confession to Elena. I was saying those things to her because I was explaining something I said to her on New Year's Eve-"

"-About how you wanted to know if she'd ever look at you the way she looks at Stefan. She, uh, told me about that way back then," Bonnie adds, looking a little embarrassed and he nods.

“Right. I have never liked Elena, the only reason why I said it is because I was jealous of their relationship at the time. At the time, I’d never been, no never seen a relationship like theirs and I wanted that for myself, deluding myself into believing Elena could give me that. Me and Stef weren’t on good terms back then, so I thought it must be Elena that makes him so happy, and maybe she could do the same with me. Did I use girls back then? Unfortunately, yeah, I did but you were never one of them. We were friends before we dated, and I cared about you and respected you too much to use you. I wasn’t telling her that I was in love with her, I was explaining why my feelings for her were never really real in the first place. What you missed is how I told her that you were the one for me. How I had you, and that our relationship was what mattered to me.”

Bonnie went silent for a few minutes, burying her face in her hands. “So I basically ruined things between us.”

“You believe me?” he blurts out, a little surprised. In all honesty, he had been ready for a yelling match or argument, he didn’t expect her to trust his words so quickly. 

“You’ve never lied to me before, and I trust you. I didn’t even listen to the full conversation, I can’t really pass judgement, now can I?” she looks up, her eyes looking glassy and there's a distressed look on her face. 

“Look, I just want a clean slate between us, to focus on Lila and I know you have to go back to school, so I want to go to Atlanta with you and Lila,” Damon admits, and Bonnie looks shocked, her jaw dropping slightly and she sputters. 

"What? I-I mean...it's not a bad thing, I'm just...it's surprising, you haven't even been here a week, what about your dad? Or Stefan? Damon, you said so yourself, your life is here!"

"Come on, Bonnie. I'm not going back to my father, and I can find other ways to watch over Stefan. Honestly, I only have one reason to stay in this town, and that's Stefan. I have a million reasons to go to Atlanta, the most important ones being Lila and you. I can find work in Atlanta."

"Your dad isn't going to blacklist you or something, right?" Bonnie asks doubtfully, and he rolls his eyes.

"No. He won't care. I'll look online for job listings. Work on my resume, get some references and we'll work out a schedule for Lila."

"Right, okay. What about a place to live? Atlanta isn't cheap, you know."

"I'll figure something out. We still have two more weeks here, I can start looking into finances and my mother left me some bonds."

"Maybe we should stay here a little longer. It might be easier to work things out here. My dad can help us out."

"Bonnie, we have time, okay? Friday is Lila's birthday by the way, we should focus on that for now."

"Yes. Of course, yeah. Right, Lila's birthday. I'm going to get her a chocolate cake, she likes those best. I bought some gifts for her today, so I need to wrap them."

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow then-" Bonnie's dad opens the door of the room swiftly, peering into the room suspiciously and eyes the two of them apprehensively.

"Hi Dad," Bonnie greets him, and Damon gives him a tight smile.

"What are you two doing?" her dad asks calmly, trying to appear casual.

"We're just talking about Lila's birthday, about what gifts to get her. Is that okay with you?" Bonnie asserts snarkily, and Damon bites back a smile.

"Hmph. Okay, I'll leave you two it, then," he answers, shutting the door slowly and Bonnie rolls her eyes. Lila's babbling echoes from the baby monitor, and Bonnie rises to get her, and Damon steps in front of her.

"Hey. Are we good now?" he asks softly, staring down at her intently and she gives him a small smile.

"We're good, Damon. I trust you, I'm so sorry I didn't come to you in the first place about what I heard you tell Elena. I should've asked you about it, instead of being an idiot and jumping to conclusions. I'm sorry, it feels like a lot of this shit could've been avoided if I had actually talked to you instead of running away," she admits, looking down uneasily.

"Neither of us could have known about any of this. It isn't anyone's fault, except for my father's. I just wish I'd done more."

"You're already doing more than enough now," Bonnie tells him gently, squeezing his hand reassuringly; she steps around him, going to get Lila and the warmth of her touch still lingering on his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is! I could be entirely wrong about this, since I'm writing this before publishing the chapter, but I feel like some people will not be happy with Bonnie for jumping to conclusions. I get it, it's 100% annoying when stuff like that happens but think about the position Bonnie was in that day. She was only 17, feeling panicked, confused, afraid and mix that in with pregnancy hormones (not to mention, she's been feeling gross and tired for a while now). At this point in time, her dad is barely home and her friends all have their own lives; she goes to the only person she believes she can count on, the actual father of her kid only to hear him talk about how jealous he is of someone else and that he used girls to distract himself from feeling jealous. As mentioned in previous chapters, she's felt these insecurities before and now it basically sounds like everything she feared was true. It's a pretty low moment for her. I don't know, maybe this rant was all for nothing but I thought it best to address this at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Thank you for reading, feel free to leave a comment!


	6. I think Tom Avery is kinda hot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Moments by Jhené Aiko ft. Big Sean (Bonnie's present POV)  
> \- Moon River by Frank Ocean (Bonnie's flashback)  
> \- Out of Touch by CUT_ (Damon's present POV)  
> \- Triggered by Jhené Aiko (Damon's flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Flashbacks will be cut down to 2 (1 for Bonnie, 1 for Damon)
> 
> \- I have finished this story! I will still be posting every friday, but rest assured that this story is completed and everything will end up published. HOWEVER, I am starting a new job working most days of the week and I have school; I will obviously try to keep up with my regular schedule, but things could get pushed back. I am 100% certain though, that this will all be published before xmas break
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, or the characters. 
> 
> ...if I did, I wouldn't have pulled half the BS that the writers did

Bonnie watches with amusement as Damon spins Lila around in his arms, singing along to “Whatta Man.” He’s unusually cheerful this morning, having prepared breakfast for everyone and even put the coffee on for her dad; she suspects that it’s because of their talk yesterday. A part of her feels ecstatic about the fact that he wasn’t actually professing his love for Elena, but she’s mostly been mentally punching herself for being such an idiot. She surmises that her emotions and pregnancy were factors in making her a slightly hysterical moron at the time, but that just made it sound all the more dismal. To know that she set off the dominoes for this whole situation, that she’d made Damon miserable all these years...it weighed on her chest, knowing the damage she caused. The doorbell rings, jolting her out of her thoughts and she goes to get it, leaving a giggling Lila and singing Damon; she opens the door, her eyes widening in surprise at Elena standing on the porch with a tentative smile. 

“Hey Bon, sorry, I know it’s a little early but could we talk?” Elena asks, fidgeting uncomfortably but Bonnie smiles warmly. 

“Of course.”

“Bonnie? Who is it?” Damon calls, and Bonnie turns to see Damon peering down the hallway along with a curious Lila. 

“Hi Aunt Elena!” Lila yells enthusiastically, waving her hand wildly. 

“Hey Lila!” Elena responds, but Bonnie can still feel Elena watching her. 

“We’re going to talk outside, okay?” Bonnie tells Damon loudly, he nods and she steps onto the porch, shutting the door softly. Elena follows her to the porch chairs, both of them sitting down and Bonnie watches patiently as Elena chews on her lip anxiously, wringing her hands. 

“Damon told me about what you heard, the real reason why you sent a letter instead of telling him in person. Bonnie, I’m so sorry, I was confused and curious about why he said it and it was close to New Year’s Eve, so it got me thinking about it, I swear I wasn’t trying to stir anything up.”

“Hey, there wasn’t anything wrong with asking him. I should’ve just been upfront about what I heard from the start instead of being a coward and running away.”

“You were pregnant, probably freaking out and then heard your boyfriend and father of your child saying what sounded like a love confession! I probably would’ve done the same as you, Bon. I should’ve figured it out sooner, and you basically forgave me too! I mean, you invited me down to your baby shower and gave me the title of ‘Aunt Elena.’ I came to visit multiple times, and you never treated me any different. I mean, how? God, if I was in your position, I would’ve been so angry.”

“Elena, you’re my sister. Yes, I was hurt and embarrassed but I couldn’t stay mad at you, I had to tell you that I was pregnant. I knew it would be harder to not have you in my life, and I wanted you to know Lila. It did take time for me to call...I was ashamed, that wasn’t necessarily a lie.”

“You were ashamed because you thought you’d fallen for a guy that had only used you, and then gotten pregnant with his baby,” Elena points out sadly, looking crestfallen. 

“Hey, it’s over now. I feel like an idiot now for believing it, for not hearing any of you guys out. You kept my secret all these years even when you were always around Damon, you did encourage me to talk to him and you’re a great aunt to Lila. You’re my best friend, you always have been.”

“I’m still sorry that I hurt you,” Elena tells her sincerely, a melancholic smile on her face and Bonnie reaches forward to squeeze her hand reassuringly. 

“I forgave you a long time ago. There’s no reason to feel bad about it anymore. It’s my fault anyway, I should’ve had more trust in you guys.”

“You were literally experiencing what could count as the worst day in someone’s life. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Like you said, it happened and now it’s over. Has Damon forgiven you, or is he angry?”

“I mean, no, he doesn’t seem mad about it.”

If Elena is surprised at her answer, she doesn’t show it. “Now you and Damon can start over, move on from this together.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so,” Elena smiles gently, “Your story with him isn’t done yet, I can tell.”

“Stefan said the same thing, you know.”

“That’s because we know you two. Bonnie, a long time ago, Damon told me that you were the one for him, and I think he still believes that. If all really is forgiven, then there’s no need to hide yourself from him anymore. You are an amazing mom, always making sure that Lila is happy and you deserve some of that too. I know the past couple years have not always been kind to you, but I believe this is your chance to finally take some of that happiness for yourself. When that opportunity arrives for you...I really hope you take it.”

**DECEMBER 2009**

“I’m sorry, I thought I was careful...I-I didn’t mean for this to happen, I’m sorry…” Bonnie sobbed, her voice muffled with her face buried in her hands. Her dad had been deadly silent for the past couple minutes, just watching Bonnie with a vacant look on his face. She was waiting for him to yell at her, to rage about her irresponsibility or even worse, kick her out of the house. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry...please, forgive me…”

“It’s okay, Bonnie. We’ll figure this out together,” he finally answered calmly, and she looked up, shocked at her dad’s lack of fury. She’d expected disappointment and anger, not this composed and collected attitude. “Who’s the father? Is it that boy you mentioned that you were dating? Last name...Parker, was it?”

“No...no, we broke up awhile ago. The father is Damon Salvatore, we’re...well, I-I don’t really know what we were, but he doesn’t want to be with me,” Bonnie whimpered, feeling a fresh wave of tears overcome her and he sighed. 

“I’m sorry, Bonnie.”

“It’s...I just...Daddy, I don’t know what to do. Everyone’s going to know me as the irresponsible teen mom, everywhere I go in Mystic Falls and what about school? How will I be able to go to university, if I’m pregnant? I-I can’t be here, I can’t face my friends, I’ll be the town screwup,” Bonnie admitted tearily, smoothing out her hair slowly. “How am I going to be able to do this?”

“Everything is going to be okay, Bonnie. We’ll work on a plan, do you know what you want to do with the baby? I won’t force you into anything you don’t want to do, it’s your choice.”

“I’m, I’m not sure yet. I don’t think I could get an abortion, it’s just not for me but I don’t know if I’ll keep it either. But I’m going through with the pregnancy.”

“Okay, that’s fine, that means nine months to decide what you want to do, and come up with a plan if you choose to give it up or keep it.”

“Daddy...I really don’t know if I can do this, if I’ll be able to stand the stares from my friends and the disapproving gazes from the neighbours and all my teachers. I just...I feel so humiliated, and everyone is going to judge me, it feels suffocating just thinking about it,” Bonnie cried, finally grabbing a tissue and roughly wiped the tears from her cheeks. 

“I know, Bon. God, I wish your mom was here,” her dad sighed tiredly, and she stilled for a moment. He never mentioned her mom, not even when it was a serious conversation like this. “Let me make a call, okay? I think I know a way to help.”

Bonnie watched in confusion as her dad rose from the kitchen table, taking out his phone and quietly talked to someone. She knew it wasn’t his job, he definitely wouldn’t call them about something like this. Maybe it was a family friend, or a midwife. She’d have to figure things out, find a way to deal with everything somehow; first thing would be to end things with Damon, and let him know she was pregnant. Bonnie felt more tears spring to her eyes, letting out a shuddered breath at the idea of that scenario. How on earth would she be able to face him, and actually make it through that conversation? 

She felt like the only person she could face was Caroline, the prospect of facing anyone else was terrifying. Even telling Elena, her best friend since childhood, about the pregnancy felt insurmountable. Bonnie could see the way that everything could unfold in the next few months, with Elena apologizing profusely about Damon and she’d accept it like a fool. She’d have to waddle around school with a giant belly, receiving pitying stares from all her classmates and be forced to ignore the whispers about her, the poor girl that Damon Salvatore had gotten pregnant and then dumped. Mystic Falls was like a cesspool when it came to gossip. She’d have to put college on hold, maybe she would never even get the chance to attend, being a mom would have to suffice as a full-time job. Her friends would forget about her, she’d be forced to stay in all the time and have to struggle to support herself. She’d be forever destined to be a walking embarrassment in this town, always weighed down by the disappointment and judgements of everyone else. Her dad walked back into the room, holding his phone against his chest and Bonnie looked at him expectantly. 

“Bonnie, if you’re on board, I have a way for you to go through your pregnancy without worrying about your friends or Mystic Falls in general. Do you remember your cousin Lucy and Aunt Emily, from Atlanta?” Bonnie shook her head confusedly, but her dad didn’t look discouraged. “Well, they’re related through Grams, Aunt Emily is the daughter of Grams’s sister. They’re offering to take you in, help you out. Aunt Emily lives in a nice house in a good neighbourhood, schools in Atlanta are more flexible and they can even help you with babysitting, if you choose to keep it. I will visit as much as I can, I promise you and I will help you with finances. But you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I want you to go through this pregnancy without feeling too stressed out, so it’s your decision on what you believe is best for you.”

Bonnie had only gone to Atlanta a couple times in the past, but she’d always liked it there. It could be a fresh start, the city already had so many people and no one would know her, not the way that the people in Mystic Falls did. She would get help from her aunt and cousin, she’d have a place to stay and they wouldn’t come and go like her dad. She could go through the pregnancy in peace, create a life of her own. She wouldn’t be bound to one path of life, not like how it was in Mystic Falls. She’d tell Damon about the baby, but her heart could heal away from him. If she went to Atlanta, every corner she turned, each building she passed, wouldn’t feel like a reminder of him. Atlanta wouldn’t suffocate her, maybe it would even change things. 

“I think going to Atlanta is the best choice for me. I want to go as soon as possible, I don’t want to be here any longer,” Bonnie concluded firmly, and her dad nodded, placing the phone back up to his ear. 

“Emily? She said yes, she wants to come as soon as possible,” her dad paused, listening for a moment and smiled with relief. “Okay, we’ll be there by tomorrow night. I’ll see you then, bye.” 

“What should I pack?” Bonnie asked nervously, but it felt like an enormous pressure had been lifted off her chest. She could breathe properly again, and her thoughts didn’t feel as chaotic anymore. 

“Pack up everything, Bonnie, if you’re not coming back.”

“Okay, yeah,” Bonnie got up from her chair, stopping to give her dad a fierce hug and whispered a thank you before heading upstairs to her room. She pulled out a suitcase from her closet, shoving her clothes inside when she spotted a pen and notebook sitting on her desk, an idea popping into her head. 

She couldn’t face Damon, especially not with so little time; Atlanta was a pretty long drive, they’d probably have to leave in the afternoon. She didn’t want to fight with him about leaving, or make him feel obligated to stay with her just because of the baby. She would crack under the pressure, feel compelled to stay by the arguments he would spin. Even a phone call sounded too painful, but maybe a letter would work. She could just let it all out in the open without any arguments, he could decide for himself what he wanted to do. He could text or call if he wanted to be involved, decide if he wanted to be a parent or not. He could decide if he was okay with adoption, and let her know if what he wanted to do about the baby. If he did reach out, and she kept the baby, then she’d come back to Mystic Falls after giving birth. It was only fair that he got a chance to be a parent if he wanted it (and she really hoped he did). She grabbed the pen and notebook from her desk, sitting down on the floor and began to write. 

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“Do it again!” Lila claps her hands together excitedly, and Bonnie grins. 

“Okay, here I go!” Bonnie does a cartwheel, finishing with her hands in the air, just like how they did it when she was on the cheerleading squad; she’s a little rusty after years of no practice and she’s definitely lost some of her flexibility, but she’s still happy that Lila finds her cheer moves just as amazing. 

“Mommy, do it again! Do it again, please!”

“Okay!”

Bonnie cartwheels again, hearing the back door slam and she lands back on her feet, tossing a glance to see Damon walking towards them with a smirk. 

“Is this a cheerleading show?” he asks playfully, sitting down next to Lila and Bonnie looks down at the two of them, her hands on her hips as the hot summer sun beats down on them. 

“What’s cheerleading?” Lila frowns, looking at Bonnie curiously. 

“I used to do cheerleading. Cheerleading means you do a lot of stuff, like the cartwheels I just did, you yell a lot at football games. It’s kind of like dance, Lila baby,” Bonnie explains, sitting down across from them. 

“I wanna be a cheerleader like you, Mommy,” Lila announces, running over behind Bonnie and wrapping her tiny little arms around Bonnie’s neck. 

“That’s very nice of you to say. I bet you’d make a great cheerleader, baby.”

Bonnie grabs Lila from behind, reaching to give her a wet kiss on the cheek; Lila shrieks delightedly, before running away to her little playhouse. Bonnie watches her for a moment, smiling before turning to look back at Damon, who’s staring at her intently before looking away quickly, coughing. 

“Did you ever continue with cheerleading?” Damon asks, still not looking at her and she chuckles. 

“It got kind of hard once the baby bump came in. I didn’t need to add cheerleader to my title of ‘that pregnant girl’ in high school.”

“Hmm. I think I saw you cheer a couple times, back when we were in high school together.”

“You were probably too busy paying attention to the leggy ones.”

“Not true. I also paid attention to the others.”

“Glad to hear you don’t discriminate, Damon. I’m sure all the cheerleaders were very pleased. Also, did you get the chocolate cake for tomorrow?” 

“Of course I did. I bought some other stuff for the pancakes tomorrow too.”

“Why? I already have all the ingredients I need.”

“Uh, I need ingredients for my pancakes,” Damon answers, and Bonnie narrows her eyes. 

“Damon, I don’t want Lila to break a tooth from biting into those pucks.”

“Hey, I’ve improved! I’ve had lots of time to practice, you know.”

“You’re telling me that you’re willing to make pancakes for Lila on the first ever birthday you’ll be a part of, knowing that if they taste horrible, there’s a chance she’ll throw a tantrum?”

“I will gladly take on those odds. You can just sleep in tomorrow, let me handle breakfast.”

“My dad will also be eating these pancakes, you know.”

“Wow, try not to cheer me on so hard,” Damon snipes sarcastically, “Judgey much?”

Bonnie blinks, startled at the sound of his old nickname for her. A rush of nostalgia washes over her, she can barely remember the last time he called her that. She laughs, a little surprised but it’s nice to hear that nickname again. _Maybe a little scary too._

“I guess it was only a matter of time before that nickname became a thing again,” Bonnie remarks, sighing dramatically and Damon smirks. 

“It’s in your nature, you can’t help it.”

“Fine. I bet your pancakes will be super delicious and everyone will love them, forcing me to retire my own pancakes out of embarrassment.”

Lila runs over to them, tugging Bonnie’s arm and pointing at her playhouse. Bonnie stands up, letting Lila take her away to play. 

“I’m gonna hold you to that!” Damon calls loudly, and Bonnie glances back, her lips upturned at the corners. 

* * *

Damon adds another pancake to the plate, singing along softly under his breath to “Chasing Waterfalls” by TLC; he’s already sampled a couple of the pancakes, the first couple were a little too hard but now he’s gotten the hang of it. He flips another pancake on the stove, throwing a couple blueberries in his mouth and he feels two tiny arms wrap around his leg; he looks down to see a grinning Lila, her hair pulled back in a high bun with a nice blue summer dress on. He picks her up, stepping away from the stove and bounces her excitedly. 

“Happy birthday, Lila baby,” Damon cheers, attacking her with kisses and she giggles. 

“Thanks! Ooh, pancakes! Yay!” Lila looks at the stove excitedly, wriggling in Damon’s arms happily. 

“I know, they’re going to taste delicious. Now, where’s mommy?”

“Sorry, I was grabbing something from the front,” Bonnie appears in the doorway, smiling and Damon thinks his heart must’ve skipped a beat there. She’s wearing a floral dress with her hair pulled back in a braid, little tendrils of hair escaping the braid and framing her face; she looks especially radiant today, somehow making the room feel a little more warm and bright. “Are the pancakes edible?”

“I assure you, they taste delicious,” he replies smoothly, setting Lila down so he can flip another pancake. Bonnie just raises her eyebrows expectantly, grabbing plates and cutlery to set the table. Bonnie’s dad comes down a few minutes later, mumbling a good morning to Damon and joyfully sings some odd happy birthday song to Lila; at least he’s feeling comfortable around Damon now. Damon finally adds the last pancake to the plate with all the others, turning off the stove and everyone is already sitting at the table; Damon walks over, setting it down with a flourish. 

“May I present my world famous and highly coveted pancakes,” Damon announces, Lila squealing at the sight of food, and Bonnie eyes him with a mix of exasperation and amusement. Rudy reluctantly grabs one, sprinkling some strawberries on top and Bonnie takes a pancake for Lila, cutting it up into small pieces. 

“These are good,” Rudy comments gruffly, taking another bite of his pancakes but Damon’s secretly pleased. Might as well be the closest he’ll ever get to a compliment. 

Lila has doused her pancake with syrup, grinning excitedly and Bonnie has grabbed a pancake as well, sprinkling on some blueberries. Damon follows her lead, grabbing some whipped cream for his pancake while still watching her to discern her reaction. Bonnie takes a bite gingerly, chewing silently as he cuts up his pancake. 

“Hmm...not bad, Salvatore. You’ve improved,” Bonnie concedes, and Damon smirks. 

“See? I’ve gotten better,” he replies smugly. “Lila, do you like your birthday breakfast?”

“It’s yummy! Super yummy, yum!” Lila crows, shoving another piece in her mouth happily. 

“I think Gordon Ramsay just got some new competition,” Damon remarks triumphantly, and Bonnie rolls her eyes. 

Bonnie’s dad offers to clean up breakfast, letting Bonnie and Damon give Lila her first birthday gift of the day; they’re sitting in the grass next to the driveway, having moved the car so Lila can play with chalk, her first present. It’s still morning, so it’s not too hot yet with a bit of a breeze in the air and the tree in the front yard has provided some shade for them.

“Hey. I’m sorry for doubting you,” Bonnie turns her head to look Damon in the eye. 

“Apology accepted. I know how picky you can be about food, I understand.”

“I wasn’t talking about the pancakes,” Bonnie rolls her eyes, “I will let that comment about me being picky slide, because I’m apologizing about doubting you for everything. That I believed you didn’t actually want to be with me, and I didn’t even have faith to ask you about it in the first place.”

“We’re still on that?” he raises an eyebrow, and she looks guilty now. 

“I know we said we were gonna move on, but that doesn’t change the past couple years, or the fact that I messed things up. I should have had more faith in you and actually talked to you. You have every right to be pissed at me, we could even schedule a little venting session after lunch if you want to rage at me.”

“Nah...maybe another day,” he smirks, and she smiles hesitantly as she twists her grandmother’s ring around her finger thoughtfully. 

“Why aren’t you more pissed at me? Your reaction is just...very unDamonlike. Have you been replaced by a doppelganger or something?”

“I just don’t see much of a reason to be mad. What good would it do? You believe me, you didn’t accuse me of lying and I know you, I know you’re beating yourself up about it. And being mad...is tiring. In this situation, it’s not worth it. I don’t hold any resentment towards you, I get why you jumped to the conclusions that you did and our daughter is what matters to me. I don’t want her to know what it’s like to have parents that hate each other, to have to navigate through a toxic home by herself. I won’t subject her to that kind of life.”

“To be fair, you thought I left you with no explanation.”

“We’re gonna go in circles if we keep pointing out our mistakes,” Damon remarks casually, and Bonnie sighs, looking down. 

“Yeah...Lila, can you come over here, please?” Bonnie calls suddenly, and Lila drops her pieces of chalk, walking over to Bonnie. “Baby, I wanna talk to you about something.”

“Okay, mommy,” Lila responds, seating herself sideways in Bonnie’s lap so she can also make silly faces at Damon. 

“You know how I call Grandpa ‘dad’ or how Aunt Lucy calls her dad ‘daddy?’” Lila nods, and Damon realizes where Bonnie is heading with this conversation, “Well, you have one of those too, and it’s Damon. Damon would be your daddy.”

“So he’s like grandpa and you, mommy?”

“Yes, you’re like me and grandpa is like Damon, Lil. So, whenever you want to, you call Damon daddy, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Can mommy get a kiss?” Bonnie taps her cheek, and Lila presses a kiss against her cheek gingerly; Lila goes back to her chalk drawing, and Damon turns his head to give Bonnie an exasperated look. 

“You know, it doesn’t feel as great to get the title of Dad out of guilt,” he snaps, and she stares at him calmly with a hint of irritation. 

“ _I’m not_. I may be feeling guilty, but I know better than to base my decisions on guilt. It was overdue, you’ve earned it. This will show Lila that we’re a team,” Bonnie nudges his elbow, cracking a warm smile and he’s secretly happy. Maybe he shouldn’t be so pleased, but it feels good to know that she thinks he’s earned it. Not to mention the sound of them being a team has a nice ring to it. 

**DECEMBER 2009**

“--not answering? What about Matt, or Tyler? Have they heard anything from her?” Damon heard Stefan ask urgently as he walked into the main room. Stefan’s pacing the room, talking to someone on the phone and he’s running a hand through his hair with agitation. 

“Lover’s quarrel, little brother?” Damon sniped, picking up a magazine and sat down on the couch, propping his feet up on the corner of a coffee table. 

“I need to go...Damon’s here,” Stefan paused, “I’ll tell him. We’ll talk later, okay? Love you.”

Damon frowned, noticing Stefan’s nervous posture and sympathetic eyes; he flipped through the magazine, nonplussed and Stefan sat down opposite him, his leg bouncing nervously. 

“Okay, spit it out, Stef. You’re going to stress me out too if that leg keeps bouncing.”

“Damon...I just got a call from Elena. She uh, she said that Bonnie has left town.”

“Okay, and? I knew she was gonna visit family during the holidays, so she left a couple days early, it’s fine.”

“No, Damon, I’m sorry, Bonnie has left Mystic Falls and she’s not coming back for the school year. Elena doesn’t even know if she’s going to come back at all, Bonnie hasn’t been answering her calls,” Stefan explained slowly, and Damon shook his head. 

“Come on, Stef, it’s not in your nature to make jokes,” Damon replied sharply, and Stefan sighed, looking at Damon with pity in his eyes; Stefan isn’t that good at pranks, but it can’t be true. Bonnie wouldn’t do that to him, she wouldn’t do this to all her friends. 

“Damon, she’s gone. No one knows if she’s ever coming back.”

“No, that can’t be true.” She would never do something like that. She wouldn’t hurt him like this; she’s probably still at her house with her dad, eating the bacon pasta her dad makes that she likes so much and preparing to watch some crappy christmas movie. She hasn’t left him. 

“Damon, I’m sorry--”

“Stop! She’s not gone, Stefan,” Damon protested loudly, standing up and rushed to the door. Stefan followed him quickly, putting his hand on the door to block him. “Get the hell out of my way!”

“Where are you going?! Don’t be stupid--”

“I’m going to Bonnie’s house, because all of you are WRONG! Elena is probably freaking out over nothing, Bonnie’s cell phone probably died! Bonnie WOULD NOT do that, I know her and that’s NOT HER!” Damon yelled furiously, pushing Stefan’s hand out of the way and opened the door, running to his car to go find Bonnie and prove the rest of those idiots wrong. 

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“--Happy birthday dear Lila, happy birthday to you!” they finish singing, clapping energetically and Lila mimics them, beaming happily at all of them. Lila leans forward, blowing out her candles after a couple tries and they all cheer. 

“Dad, did you want to take some photos?” Bonnie asks, passing her phone over to Rudy. 

“Sure, of course. Let’s get the family to move closer together, since the both of you will probably want photos,” Rudy responds curtly, and Damon inches his chair closer to Bonnie. She shifts Lila slightly in her lap so she’s sitting on both of them; Damon hesitantly slides an arm around Bonnie’s shoulder, feeling her sharp intake of breath but after a moment, she also puts an arm around him, resting on his back lightly. They stay like that for a couple minutes while Bonnie’s dad takes photos, and Damon focuses on posing for the photo. He’s definitely not thinking about Bonnie’s hand on his back, or how nice it feels to have his arm around her. _Definitely not focusing on any of that._ “Okay, done. I can cut the cake.”

Damon slides his arm away from Bonnie (albeit reluctantly) and her arm brushes away from his back; he moves his chair a little, watching Lila eye the chocolate cake greedily and hands her a plate with a slice of cake from Rudy.

“Yummy, yummy, yummy…” Lila singsongs, smacking her lips together as she digs into her piece. Damon suppresses a smile at how quickly she gobbles it up; it’s oddly reminiscent of a certain someone. 

“Ooh, thank you, Dad,” Bonnie grins, grabbing her plate and stuffs a big piece in her mouth; he’s suddenly struck by how alike Bonnie and Lila are, the way that they both eat and how similar their mannerisms are in this moment. Rudy passes Damon a piece silently, then cuts himself a small slice as well and they all eat quietly for several minutes. 

“What did you want to watch tonight for a movie, Lil?” Rudy asks.

“Barbie and the Diamond Castle!” Lila throws her hands in the air joyfully, and Rudy has a resigned look on his face but Bonnie just smiles. 

“Good choice. Dad, can you take Lila upstairs to get changed? We’ll clean up and set up the movie,” she replies, and Rudy nods, picking up Lila and carries her out of the room. “You know, when I was pregnant, I didn’t eat any chocolate cake. My stomach was put off, I didn’t even touch it.”

Damon gasps dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to dislike anything chocolate.”

“Believe it,” Bonnie laughs, getting up to clear the plates into the dishwasher. 

“Also, I’ve been thinking about uh, our financial situation. I have some family that I could reach out to, maybe see if they can help me out.”

“Really? You’re sure they will?”

“Maybe. My dad’s brother, Uncle Zach just about tolerates me but him and my dad have always kind hated each other. Maybe his hatred for my dad will overpower his indifference for me.”

“Go for it, just make sure you’re careful about borrowing money. And don’t take too much, okay?”

“Of course.”

“And you still haven’t told me what you want to do for your birthday...or what you want.”

“I don’t need anything, and I still haven’t decided. I’ll get back to you,” Damon smirks, getting up to follow her into the living room and she rifles through the shelves of DVDs. “Also, what is Barbie and the Diamond Castle about?”

“It’s one of Lila’s favourite movies. This’ll be the fiftieth time I’ve seen it, and the twentieth time for my dad. Thankfully, you’re new to it.”

“Hmm. I look forward to having the script memorized like you and Rudy.”

“Yeah, yeah, you say that now,” Bonnie takes out a bright pink DVD, bending down to put it in the DVD player. “Eventually it sounds like white noise. Except for the songs, they’re not the worst things I’ve ever heard.”

Lila finally comes back into the room, hopping around happily and Rudy follows, looking a little subdued but sits down on a futon anyway. Lila sits down next to him, bouncing excitedly and after Bonnie sits next to her as well once the movie comes on. He watches for the next hour or so, he can’t say he’s ever seen anything like it; most people in the movie act like idiots and the songs are a little simple, but he can see why it’s good enough for a three-year-old girl. He can’t see anyone else since the lights are out, except when Lila starts dancing around to the songs. The movie finally finishes, and Damon turns on the lamp next to him when he hears Lila’s soft giggles. 

“What are you laughing about?” he whispers, turning to her and she points at a sleeping Bonnie. 

“Mommy’s asleep,” Lila giggles, her hands cupped over her mouth and Damon smirks. 

“I think mommy is tired, that’s all. Sometimes big girls need their rest,” Damon replies solemnly. “It’s also your bedtime.”

“I’ll take Lila up. You take Bonnie, you’ll have better luck than me carrying her up,” Rudy declares quietly, standing up and holding out a hand for Lila to grab. “Say goodnight to your Daddy, Lila.”

“Goodnight, Daddy,” Lila whispers, pecking Damon on the cheek and slides off the couch, grabbing Rudy’s hand. They disappear down the hallway, and Damon stands up, moving next to Bonnie. 

He hesitates for a moment, unsure of what might happen if she wakes up but he slides his arm under her knees and puts the other around her back; she feels like a furnace, warming him up and he carries her slowly down the hall and upstairs. He walks slowly up the steps, careful not to bump her against the railing or wall; she hasn’t stirred at all, her eyes still shut and her mouth has dropped slightly. He finally reaches her room, kicking the door open softly and he walks to the bed, setting her down gently; he can’t exactly tuck her into bed, so he takes a blanket off a chair for her. He unfolds it, laying it on top of her and tucks it at her chin gently; her hand reaches out, curling around his wrist and he freezes, fixated on her face to see if she’s awake. She doesn’t show any sign of waking up, her eyes are still closed but her lips have curved into a smile and he’s acutely aware of how she’s gently rubbing the pad of her thumb against his wrist. She eventually lets go, moving around in bed and the moment is over but he can still feel the ghost of her hand around his wrist, like a tattoo etched on his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you may be dying from a lack of bamon action but rest assured, I got some good stuff lined up for the next couple chapters...
> 
> Thank you for reading, feel free to leave a comment!


	7. Do you think that you could keep it a secret for another week so I can get my money’s worth?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Summertime Magic by Childish Gambino (Bonnie's present POV)  
> \- Lonely by Noah Cyrus (Bonnie's flashback)  
> \- Close by Nick Jonas ft. Tove Lo (Damon's present POV)  
> \- Switch by 6lack (Damon's flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or the characters.
> 
> ...and I will forever be salty at the treatment of pretty much all the characters on the show

Bonnie has her hands on her knees, bent over panting softly with her chest heaving and Matt bumps her shoulder lightly. 

“You are seriously out of shape, Bon,” Matt remarks, and she scowls, suspecting that he’s secretly laughing at her a little. 

“You let me know how fit you are after your body goes through childbirth and you have to raise a kid by yourself,” she replies hotly, still trying to catch her breath and he laughs. 

“I’ll be sure to document every moment when it happens.”

“Smart ass.” 

She finally stands up straight, stretching her back slightly as the morning sun peeks through the pine trees. They’re standing in the Mystic Falls Cemetery after a 45-minute run; Bonnie wanted to hang out with Matt again, and apparently he runs every morning at 6:30 a couple times during the week. So far, in between short breaths, she’s told him everything that’s happened recently and also discovered that she has lost quite a bit of stamina. 

“Hey, do you think Elena would like a new perfume for her birthday? I’m still figuring out what to buy her.”

“Well, what do you usually buy Vicki? That could give you an idea.”

“Uh...I alternate between jewelry and perfume,” he mumbles, and Bonnie laughs. 

“Perfume is fine. Although, did she tell you what she was thinking of doing for her birthday?”

“Going to a club in Charlottesville?”

“Yeah, you could offer to pay for her entrance fee, pay for her drinks in a friendly, not creepy way.”

“Maybe, but I feel like Stefan might cover all that for her.”

“Good point. Well, if you’re shopping for her, you can always call me and I’ll help you out. Wait, how is Stefan gonna cover that? He’s not turning 21 for a few months.”

“Uh, well Ty’s uncle Mason knew a guy that made fake IDs, so we all kinda got one. I don’t need it anymore, obviously.”

“Does Caroline have one? I distinctly remember she had to secretly drink what I got at the Grille.”

“She does have one, but everyone knows she’s the sheriff’s daughter and no one wants to be held responsible for letting her drink underage. Plus, everyone knows everyone around here. Who would she be able to fool?”

“Wow, and yet you judge me for slipping Caroline my drinks,” Bonnie teases, chuckling, “Have you been to a club before?”

“Ha, no. Never really had a good reason to go, and it’s not exactly cheap. If everyone goes, then of course I’m down for a first-time experience. You?”

“Once, just with some of my university friends. I don’t think I stayed for very long, though. Other than that, the drinks either get brought to me through Lucy or I don’t do it at all. Can’t exactly watch Lila with a glass of wine in my hand. Also, since we’re on the subject of birthdays, what do you think I should get Damon for his birthday?”

“What? When’s his birthday?”

“It’s in two days. I’m stumped, he said he doesn’t want anything but obviously I’m still going to get him a gift anyway.”

“Haha, obviously. Well, I don’t know, get him a new shirt or some nice leather jacket? A bottle of bourbon?”

“You want me to buy him a bottle of bourbon, even though he’s around Lila all day everyday?” Bonnie asks with a deadpan voice, raising her eyebrows and Matt flushes, scratching his neck. 

“Okay...maybe not the best idea. I suck at gifts, you know that, Bon. You always give good gifts, just get whatever comes to mind.”

“I can’t just buy him an expensive shirt or jacket, his gift should be something really special. Like, special as in I’m giving him a gift to show how much he means to me and also to show I’m sorry for royally fucking up.”

“A gift to show how much he means to you, hmm,” Matt repeats, his eyes twinkling mischievously and Bonnie shakes her head quickly, her cheeks feeling hot all of a sudden. 

“As Lila’s dad and for moving to Atlanta, that’s all. I’m not going to buy him some scrapbook of us or a fancy watch, he’s technically my ex-boyfriend so nothing romantic.”

“Well, a personal gift doesn’t mean it has to be romantic. You guys have Lila, maybe something to do with her? You know that he’s missed three years of her life, so maybe find a way to create a gift that has to do with her.”

“And you say you’re horrible at gifts,” Bonnie nudges his arm playfully, and he grins. 

“I only gave you advice, I never said what exactly you should get him.”

“You should give yourself more credit, Matty.”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay, let’s jog back to your house. Do you think your dad will mind if I step in for breakfast?”

“Nah, if he can let Damon stay there, then you’ll be fine. After all, he’s always liked you.”

Matt chuckles a little. “Right. Are you ready to run?”

“Physically or mentally? Because it’s a no to both.”

“Ready? Go!” Matt takes off, glancing back at Bonnie with a grin and she groans, following him after a moment. 

**FEBRUARY 2010**

“Happy birthday, Bon! Holy crap, time flies,” Caroline exclaimed, smiling as Bonnie shifted the computer in her lap so she can see Caroline a little better on Skype. 

“Thank you, Care. How was your day?” Bonnie asked, resting her hand on her growing belly. 

Lately she’s been buried under baggy clothes, attempting to hide her bump as long as she can but it feels like it’s growing everyday; eventually it’ll be too hard to hide, and she’ll have to face everyone’s stares at her new school. At least all they know is that she’s pregnant, not her whole history like everyone in Mystic Falls would. It’s been more than a month since she’s been in Atlanta, and she’s still trying to figure out her new life here. Aunt Emily and Lucy have been super kind and understanding, Lucy’s been showing her around the city but sometimes it feels like her head is still wandering around Mystic Falls. 

“Oh, you know, it was boring. School is still kinda slow at the moment so not too much work, me and Tyler went to the Grille to shoot some pool and yeah...um, Elena talked about you a little today too,” Caroline chewed on her lip nervously, and Bonnie stiffened, before trying to relax her body again. She didn’t want her stress and tension to affect the baby, so she’s been trying to stay calm whenever she feels like she’s getting upset. 

“Oh. What about?” She’d received two calls and a text from Elena, but she hadn’t bothered to check it yet. There was only really one person she’d been checking for today.

“Well, it is your birthday. The same old questions, why you left and why you haven’t been answering any of her calls or messages. And don’t worry, I’m keeping my mouth shut,” Caroline pursed her lips, and Bonnie sighed, rubbing her face. 

“Care, I’m sorry for making you keep this a secret, it’s not fair to you or Elena--”

“Okay, you need to stop apologizing because I’m only pissed at Elena for how oblivious she’s being! How hard can it be to connect the dots? I know you don’t wanna hear this, I just need to let off some steam...I’m sorry, you’re literally pregnant and I shouldn’t be talking about this. You’re going through enough. In fact, you should be celebrating today, Bon. Have you gone out at all today?”

“I just went to school, Aunt Emily made a nice dinner. Nothing special, my dad called earlier too and we talked for a while. He’s thinking of coming down for a couple months to help me with the baby.”

“Oh, that’s great about your dad coming down! Thank god he’s stepping up, that’s really nice. But that’s all you’ve done today? Anything else?”

“Nope...just waiting for a phone call, really,” Bonnie gave her a thin smile, and Caroline sighed sadly. 

“Maybe he’ll call later? It’s not too late, or he’s held up at school. University work is crazy.”

“Right. Yeah, of course. He’ll call me...why wouldn’t he?” Bonnie said, more to herself than to Caroline. She couldn’t lie to herself, she was starting to lose hope. If Damon wouldn’t reach out on her birthday, then what other day could possibly be better than today? Sure, he had just been using her as a distraction, but she thought she’d known him well enough to know that he’d call about something like this. Every day that passed, every day that he didn’t call felt like a stab to the heart. Had she really been so blind to what was really going on? She never thought it was like him to walk away, especially not from his own kid, but now she wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t really certain about anything anymore. 

“Just give it time! Maybe he’ll call later, he could be busy tonight.”

“Maybe...maybe I should call him?”

“No way, Bonnie. The ball is in his court, he’s the one that needs to call, okay? Don’t call him. It’s his move.”

“Okay. I should go now, I’m feeling tired. Pregnancy, right?” Bonnie lied, managing a small smile and Caroline gave her a bright smile; it’s probably a little forced, but Bonnie is glad that she’s letting her end the Skype anyway. 

“We’ll talk soon, okay? I still want regular updates on your pregnancy,” Caroline said, and Bonnie nodded. 

“Of course. Bye Care, have a good weekend.”

“Take care of yourself, Bonnie. Happy birthday again.”

Bonnie ended the call, picking up her phone to check for any new messages or calls. Nothing new. She buried her head in her hands, trying to stifle the tears pricking her eyes. Everyday her fears ate away at her, always wondering how she was going to get through this and if she was even prepared to have a baby. She’d never felt so alone in her life. 

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“Aunt Jenna went there once, she said it was really classy and Matt told me that Vicki has been there a couple times too. I was thinking we could go the day of my birthday, since it’ll be a Saturday night which will make it even more fun! What do you think, can you come?” Elena asks hopefully, smiling as she takes another bite of cake. 

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it. What did you say the club was called again?” Bonnie sets down her plastic plate on the patio table, sitting down and Elena joins her on the opposite side of the table. 

“It’s called Lux. Caroline and Tyler are coming, and Matt will confirm once he finds someone to cover his shift. I was thinking about inviting Damon too, since our birthdays are close together and I feel kinda bad about all the fights we’ve had lately. I think he could use a night out.”

“Yeah, I think he’d go if you asked. You might wanna let the others know beforehand, just so we don’t have to sit through a passive-aggressive car ride,” Bonnie jokes, and Elena laughs. 

“Yeah, good point.”

Stefan and Damon finally step out, carrying a pack of beer and the rest of the gifts for Damon’s birthday. They approach the patio table, setting down the beer and gifts before sitting with them. 

“How’s Lila doing?” Bonnie asks, accepting a beer from Stefan.

“Miranda is teaching her some new game, she’s having fun,” Stefan replies kindly. 

“Hey Damon, I was planning to go to a club in Charlottesville for my birthday, since I’m turning 21 and you should come! We’re all going to drive down, it’ll be really fun,” Elena exclaims cheerily, taking the bottle opener from Stefan for her beer and Bonnie watches Damon, noticing him look her way almost imperceptibly. He’s waiting to see what she said, she realizes; the notion almost makes her laugh out loud, but she just chooses to respond with a tiny nod. 

“Yeah, I could use a break from being a parent,” Damon smirks, taking a swig of his beer, “Who else is going? Stef, will Tom Avery be joining us?”

Stefan rolls his eyes, flipping Damon off. “Tom Avery isn’t even a bad fake ID name, and I only have to use it for a few more months.”

“I think Tom Avery is kinda hot,” Elena remarks coyly, her eyes twinkling and Stefan winks at her, eliciting a groan from Damon. 

“Why did I let you guys celebrate my birthday with me again?” Damon complains. 

“Because I’m the only one who knows mom’s birthday cake recipe that you love so much,” Stefan interjects. 

“Also, we brought you gifts,” Elena adds, smiling. “Here, you can open mine first. Me and Stefan got separate presents for you. Unfortunately, we did not get you bourbon. We thought we’d save it for next year.”

“You guys wouldn’t be able to buy it anyway,” Damon comments, smirking as he accepts a small gift bag from Elena. He takes out the tissue paper, pulling out a card; he reads it silently, before giving Elena a nod with a tiny smile and pulls out two gift cards. 

“They’re from a home interior store...I know they have a bunch of those stores in Atlanta too. I thought you could use it for when you get a place, to help you with decorating. There’s, um, more too.”

Damon pulls out a maroon dish towel with an S embroidered on, and a small Mystic Falls keychain with raised eyebrows. 

“Consider the dish towel an early housewarming gift for you, and the keychain is so you can remember home.”

“Thank you for the gift, Elena,” Damon replies politely, both of them getting up to hug, Damon gives her an awkward pat on the back and Bonnie can see Stefan stifling a smile. Stefan then hands his gift and card to Damon with a flourish, trying to keep his face neutral and Bonnie feels her stomach churning a little. She’d told Damon that she wanted to give him her gift at their get-together with Elena and Stefan, but now she was starting to regret it. It isn’t a bad gift, which is exactly why she’s starting to wish that she’d just given him his gift in private. 

“I see you went sentimental, little brother,” Damon is holding a small children’s chapter book in his hand. 

“I thought it might be nice to start a family tradition, you can read it to Lila just like how Mom would read it to us,” Stefan explains, and Bonnie’s hand inadvertently touches her Grams’ ring; another tradition that she hopes to start with Lila. Damon pulls out a thick rectangular envelope, peeking inside and groans, looking up at Stefan with resigned annoyance. 

“Aw hell, you didn’t.”

“Father won’t even notice that I took any photos! He never looks at them, and I thought you should have some of your own. They were all in the photo albums, the house is so big anyway that he’ll assume the pictures are lost.”

“You’ll pay if he does find out.”

“That’s fine with me, brother,” Stefan answers, staring back calmly at Damon’s vexed face. “Bonnie, why don’t you give Damon your gift?”

“Sure,” Bonnie hands him her gift, holding her shaking hands in her lap and tries to smother down a nervous smile as he sorts through the bag. He pulls out the large rectangular picture frame, staring down at the cutout photos of Lila from the past three years. 

“I thought it might be nice for you to have a picture frame of Lila, like a little collage,” Bonnie explains tentatively, his eyes flickering around to the different photos of Lila. 

“That’s really sweet, Bon,” Elena adds warmly, smiling as she peers across the table to try to get a better look. 

“Yeah, thank you,” Damon turns his head to look at her, his face impassive but his eyes are soft and seem so focused on her.

“I got you something else too, it’s kind of the same thing,” Bonnie adds, ignoring the heat rising up to her cheeks and he looks through the bag again. He pulls out a smaller picture frame, his eyes widening in surprise at the photo; it’s from Lila’s birthday party, and Lila is sitting in Damon’s lap while he holds her ice cream cone. She’s grinning widely, and even Damon looks slightly less broody in the photo with his trademark smirk, which is why Bonnie chose it. “I know there are all these photos of me with Lila, and I thought you deserved to have one too. When you start work or uh, get your own place, it’s something for you to take with you.”

“Let’s see the photos, Damon,” Stefan says, and Damon wordlessly sets them down in front of them. Elena points out a specific photo, telling Stefan some story about it and Damon shifts to turn his body towards Bonnie. 

“I know it’s not a bottle of bourbon or your car, but I thought it might be the next best thing,” Bonnie remarks casually, but she’s not entirely sure what he’s actually thinking. It’s not exactly hard to read him, but it feels like her nerves have overpowered her senses. 

“No, it’s great. They’re great, thank you again,” Damon replies, almost so quiet that Bonnie’s straining to hear and she knows he means it, because he doesn’t want Stefan or Elena to hear him. 

“I’m glad you like them,” is all Bonnie can manage to say, and they hug. 

Damon’s chin is tucked right on her shoulder near her neck, breathing softly and her hands are around his shoulders; she can’t deny that she missed the smell of his cologne, or the way her body seems to fit with his so nicely but she won’t say anything. Instead, she just relishes the moment while it lasts. 

* * *

“Omigod, we’re one group away from getting in!” Caroline squeals, tossing her curled blonde hair over her shoulder. “Once we get in, you and me are doing shots, Bon.”

“Okay, Care. Don’t go pushing shots towards me all night, though,” Bonnie warns Caroline from beside Damon, leaning against the brick wall with a faint grin and Damon’s having trouble taking his eyes off Bonnie. She’s wearing a bright red satin top with a black shirt that seems to be hugging her in all her right places, her makeup seems to make her dark green eyes more intense and her hair is in curls, some strands have been pulled back courtesy of Caroline. No, it’s not helping at all that she looks so good right now, making Damon think things that most definitely should not be on his mind. 

“Don’t worry, I have it all planned out. I’m going to pace myself, I’ve set increments so I know exactly when I should take a shot. I don’t want to rack up my bill, of course, or end up puking in the toilet while I’m still at the club.”

“I thought the whole point of drinking was to unwind and relax,” Damon points out, smirking and Caroline rolls her eyes, huffing. 

“Compared to what, lurking in the dark corners of the room?” Caroline shoots back defensively, crossing her arms over her sparkly gold dress; Damon can hear Stefan chortle slightly, and scowls. 

“Better than becoming an overzealous emotional drunk,” Damon says loudly, feeling Stefan step into their little conversation with a scoff. 

“Would you prefer that I was an angry and aggressive drunk, Damon?” Stefan responds. 

“Actually, yes. It would be so much more fun to party with you, then.”

“Drunk Stefan is one of my favourite Stefans,” Elena jumps in, tucking her chin at Stefan’s shoulder with a grin. Everyone else has joined their conversation, Tyler is weaving his way over to Caroline and Matt is standing next to Elena. 

“He gives great compliments,” Caroline adds, grinning as she hooks Tyler’s arm around her waist. 

“I think we moved up,” Matt chimes in, and Elena squeals as they move right up in front of the bouncer. 

“Hey, Tommy, where’s your little girlfriend, Katerina? I noticed she’s not here,” Damon points out mockingly to Stefan, earning him an eye roll. 

“Katerina Petrova has permanently left,” Elena grins, “I’ve taken over her position.”

“Was that your fake ID name?” Bonnie asks amusedly, stepping away from the wall of the building and stumbles a little, her cheek close to brushing Damon’s shoulder. 

“Yup. Had a lot of good times with her, but Elena Gilbert is ready to party now,” Elena jokes, her eyes shining. 

“Guys, pull out your IDs and money! We’re going in!” Caroline yells, already turning to the bouncer with Tyler. They all rifle through their pockets and bags, taking out cash and IDs. 

“Tom, better keep your ID safe,” Damon teases, his eyes widening mockingly at Stefan. 

“Shut it, Damon.”

They all flash their IDs and hand them the cover fee, walking inside one by one. Damon follows after Bonnie down a dark hallway, the thumping bass of the music growing louder; they walk into the club, tiny bright lights shining down from the ceiling and there are already crowds of people around the room. There’s several stairs leading down to the bar and dance floor, with large seating areas. Elena approaches Bonnie excitedly, talking in her ear as they descend the stairs to the main area; Damon can feel Stefan beside him, surveying the club with crossed arms. 

“I guess we should follow after them,” Stefan yells in his ear. “Bonnie looks nice tonight.”

“Don’t be a spoilsport, Stef. It’s just Elena’s birthday celebration, no reason to play matchmaker,” Damon responds sharply, ignoring Stefan’s smile. 

“I saw the way you two were on your birthday. What’s stopping you, Damon?” 

Damon notices everyone else has already gathered at the bar, clearly ordering the first shots of the night and Bonnie is waving them over with a smile; he walks over to them, Stefan’s words still lingering in his head. 

**MARCH 2010**

Damon hurled his jacket on his bed angrily, heading into his closet where a bottle of Bourbon is buried under some old clothes. It’s his first day of spring break, and he’s spent it so far staking out Bonnie’s house like a creepy stalker. No one was home; no car parked in the driveway and the curtains were drawn. Not one sign of movement. Back at school, Enzo had provided a nice distraction, forcing him to go to parties and serving as a wingman but he went back to England to visit his family for the break, and now Damon has only himself. What a depressing thought. 

He flicked the cap off the bottle, taking a swig and peered down at his phone. Maybe just a text would make all this over, just a text could give him the relief he needed. But then again, what was the point? She left him with no explanation, she had her reasons for it and why should he hear what she has to say? It would probably just be some stupid long breakup speech, and he’d rather not listen. No, ending things like this was good enough for Damon. If anything, it was the best way. 

“Where were you all day? I haven’t seen you,” Stefan’s voice said from behind him, and he quickly tucked away the bourbon; he grabbed a shirt, picking it up as if he’d dropped it and turned to face his brother. 

“I’ve been around. It’s my spring break, I’m relaxing,” Damon answered, keeping his face blank and Stefan arched an eyebrow. 

“Right...you know, maybe Bonnie’s spring break is another week, and she’ll come home for a week,” Stefan suggested, still observing Damon. 

“You keep her name out of your goddamn mouth,” Damon exclaimed sharply, his face darkening, “I don’t wanna hear her name.”

“Or, instead of being mopey, you could call her--”

“SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!” Damon yelled, advancing quickly with rage. “I’m tired of hearing what I should be doing! Stop trying to fix it!”

“I’m just trying to help you, you’re clearly mis--”

“I don’t need your fucking help! Leave me alone, Stefan,” Damon seethed, walking past him and purposely bumped into his shoulder. He grabbed his jacket from his bed, storming out of his room and down the stairs; he can’t be in here anymore. It feels all the more suffocating ever since she left. 

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“Matt, thank you for driving us home. You’re such a good friend, you’re so cool about everything. I wish I had a real job like you,” Stefan slurs, waving his drink around casually and Matt laughs. 

“I have an early shift tomorrow, Stef. I don’t mind being designated driver,” Matt replies, exchanging amused glances with Damon. They’ve never exactly been friends, but observing Stefan’s drunk antics together has been the friendliest interaction they’ve had so far. 

“Where’s Elena?” Stefan pouts, looking around like a lost baby deer and Damon snickers, taking another sip of his drink. 

“Can’t go five minutes without her, can you? She went to the washroom with Caroline,” Damon answers, watching Stefan sigh dramatically and flop back on the cushions of the seats with wide eyes. 

“I just love her so much, you know? She has the softest hair ever, did you guys know that? Her eyes look like chocolates, she’s just so beautiful, I’m so lucky,” Stefan sighs again, looking like someone out of a romantic comedy. 

“I do not envy you tonight, Donovan, listening to Stefan the lovesick fool,” Damon says curtly, taking another sip of his drink. 

“It’s good blackmail for the future. You wouldn’t believe the dirt I have on some people about drunk decisions. Besides, I won’t be sitting in front of a toilet at the end of the night,” Matt replies, bopping his head a little to the music

Damon once again tosses a look at the dance floor, zoning in on a laughing Bonnie dancing with Tyler. He knows she’s already had a couple drinks, her face is a little flushed and her eyes are bright but she’s having a good time; his eyes can’t help but rake up and down her body, the way she’s dancing is making him feel hot all of a sudden. 

“Hey, we’re back!” Caroline and Elena appear, blocking his view of Bonnie and he tampers down his annoyance, giving them a tight smile. 

“Elena,” Stefan sings, “I missed you so much.” 

Stefan gets up, stumbling a little and wraps his arms around Elena’s shoulders, kissing her head affectionately and she laughs. 

“Ugh, take the lovefest somewhere else, you two,” Caroline comments, but she’s smiling and her cheeks still look flushed from dancing. “I need to sit down, my feet are killing me.”

“Let’s go dance,” Stefan says, leading Elena to the dancefloor happily just as a new song starts playing. 

Damon frowns, wondering why it sounds so familiar; it’s a few years old, but he’s definitely heard it before at another party. It’s the song that he and Bonnie danced to when they first kissed, he realizes and his eyes snap to Bonnie, but she’s already staring back at him, the same recognition written all over her face. She’s still dancing with Tyler and Damon is sitting down with his drink, but they’re both still watching each other, neither wanting to break the magnetic pull of their stares. He finishes off his drink, barely even registering the taste; all he can focus on is the music and Bonnie’s piercing eyes that seem to be burning holes right into him. He gets up slowly, saying something about getting another drink and weaves past the people on the edge of the dancefloor; he glances at Bonnie a couple times, her eyes still on him. 

“Another glass of bourbon,” he tells the bartender loudly, leaning against the counter when he feels her beside him. 

“I’ll have a shot of tequila,” Bonnie says, and the bartender nods, pouring their drinks. Damon takes his glass, barely focused on his drink as he watches her tilt her head back, downing her shot. He takes a sip of his drink, still watching Bonnie as she looks back to him, a secretive smile on her face. 

“Not going to dance?” she asks, turning her body to face him. 

“Nah, not tonight,” he replies slyly, smirking. 

“Hmm, I thought you liked this song. You told me once that you made exceptions when it comes to dancing.”

“Sometimes, if I can be persuaded,” Damon knows this conversation is heading into dangerous territory. 

“Sounds like a challenge to me,” she reaches a hand up, stepping closer to adjust the collar of his shirt with a flirtatious look on her face. “What’s it gonna take to get you out there?”

“I’m sure you can think of something.” 

Damon realizes how close she is to him, staring up at him with her bright eyes and long lashes, inching closer and closer towards him. He dips his head, resting a hand on her bare hip when a heavy arm is flung around his shoulder, causing him to jump back. 

“Hey guys! My two favourite people together, wow,” Stefan says, both his arms around Bonnie and Damon with a lazy smile. _So much for making a move, brother._ Damon gives him a bitter smile, feeling annoyed at drunk Stefan and even Bonnie looks a little exasperated. 

“Don’t tell me you’re getting another drink,” Bonnie remarks lightly, no longer looking at Damon. 

“Oh, Bonnie, you’re such a good friend. Always looking out for everyone, like a mom,” Stefan giggles at his own sentence, and Damon shakes his head. 

“Okay, I think you’re cut off now, Stef. No more drinks for you,” Damon tells Stefan firmly, and Stefan frowns. 

“Damon, you’re spoiling my fun. You need to loosen up, try to enjoy yourself,” Stefan whines, and Bonnie giggles a little as Damon narrows his eyes. 

“I need to loosen up?!”

“Yes, Damon. I love you, but it’s becoming a problem,” Stefan answers solemnly, patting Damon’s cheek sloppily. 

“Okay, let’s go find the others,” Bonnie interjects, tugging on Stefan’s arm and indicating to Damon to follow; he walks with them back to their table, feeling extremely disappointed and a little pissed off at Stefan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, feel free to leave a comment!


	8. I just wanted to steal away two minutes with you, that’s all

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Cinnamon Girl by Lana Del Rey (Bonnie's present POV)  
> \- idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish (Bonnie's flashback)  
> \- Dynamite by Sigrid (Damon's present POV)  
> \- Let Me Down by Jorja Smith ft. Stormzy (Damon's flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two chapters left!! Enjoy this chapter, I promise it'll be a good one ;)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Vampire Diairies, or the characters
> 
> ...I would never surrender to fanservice

Bonnie has never been happier that her dad is home today. She's had worse hangovers before, but she's been laying in bed for the past fifteen minutes and can't seem to get up. Her memories of last night are a little scrambled, but she had a good time and it seemed like everyone else did too. Well, until she got home and puked into the toilet for a little while. She didn't even drink as much as the others, she can only imagine the hangovers that everyone else has; she grabs her phone from the nightstand next to her bed, noticing a couple texts from her friends.

**caroline: I think I died**

**elena: I'm going to visit Isobel and John today…what a mistake**

**elena: I cannot survive without sunglasses, I'm going to get teased all day**

Bonnie grins, setting her phone back down; she'll reply later when she's feeling a little less rundown, maybe once she gets some food in her body. She swings her legs off her bed, standing up slowly with a sigh; she walks into her bathroom, not bothering to shut on the lights and fumbles around for her toothbrush. She's pretty sure her breath smells disgusting, and she'd rather not repulse her family, and especially not Damon. She can still feel the ghost of his hand resting on her hip, the way that his eyes seemed to prick her skin, she'd had a couple drinks already but she'd known what she had been doing. It wasn't necessarily a regret, but it scares her a little.

It hadn't taken long for her feelings for Damon to resurface, maybe they'd never really gone away but last night seemed to prove that it wasn't just one-sided. But things weren't the same, she wasn't seventeen anymore; she had Lila to consider, and they would be forever bound by their daughter. If they did start dating, what if it all goes to shit? She doesn't want Lila to be in the middle of a bad breakup, or expose her to a toxic childhood. There was still so much they had to work out, who knew if they could even survive adult life together. She doesn't want to mess things up. She spits out her toothpaste, cleaning her mouth with water and walks back into her bedroom, sorting through her clothes; it'll definitely be something comfy for today. She hears a quiet knock at the door, looking up with a frown.

"Who is it?" she calls tentatively.

"It's me," Damon replies softly, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she watches him open the door, stepping into her room; he shuts the door gently and she gives him a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I've had worse hangovers, I'm not really a lightweight. You?"

"I puked in the toilet last night, and it took me fifteen minutes to get out of bed. I feel pretty gross this morning, actually. Life as a lightweight, I guess."

"I could've held your hair back," he points out, smirking slightly.

"I didn't want to bug you. I'm fine now, just mentally preparing myself for going downstairs. Thank god my dad is here, I wouldn't have been able to go down with Lila around seven."

"I always thought he would stop you from drinking."

"I mean, I'm legal now so he can't exactly protest. Have you heard anything from anyone else? I cannot picture the type of hangover that Stefan has," Bonnie chuckles, turning back around to sift through her clothes.

"He texted me this morning, said he threw up in the shower," Bonnie laughs, and she knows Damon is probably doing that stupid thing where he's smirking but also smiling with his eyes right now. It's actually kind of endearing, but she'll never admit it out loud.

"Are you sure you want anything to help, at least? I know you said your hangover isn't bad, but I have some Advil in one of my desk drawers."

"I could take some Advil," she hears him walk over to her desk, looking through her drawers. "Which drawer is it?"

"Second on the right, should be in a little tray," she responds, finally picking out a grey t-shirt and white shorts. She frowns, realizing how quiet the room has gotten and turns around to see Damon hunched over her desk, clearly examining something. "Is everything okay? Do you need water or something for the Advil?"

Damon turns around, his expression unreadable and he's holding up the heart-shaped necklace that he gave her almost four years ago, for their three month anniversary when they were dating. She can feel the blood drain from her face, leaning on her dresser for support; she's trying to think of a lie to throw him off, to convince him that it's nothing but her mind is blank.

"Why do you still have this?" he asks quietly, and she feels trapped under his intense gaze.

"Um, well, I...I couldn't let it go," Bonnie admits softly, staring at the ground. It was the one gift she couldn't get rid of, no matter how many times she had considered it. She'd never worn it, only kept it safely tucked away and she'd forgotten that she'd put it away in her desk after unpacking. She was such an idiot for even bringing it to Mystic Falls, why couldn't she have left it in Atlanta? There was no reason as to why she had to bring it!

She can feel Damon approach quickly, looking up with anxious eyes to discern what he's about to do and is surprised when he cups her cheeks, kissing her hungrily. She responds eagerly, pushing her chin against his and places her hands on his shoulders, dropping the clothes she picked out on the ground. Her body feels like it's coming back to life, lighting up like a christmas tree and something missing has been put back in place; she makes a choked noise as he deepens the kiss, pressing her against her dresser. His hands dip down to her hips, turning her around and she stumbles back, sitting on her bed and puts a hand down to steady herself. She's forgotten how greedy he could be with his kisses (and how much she liked that), the mattress dipping where he sets down his hands. His mouth is slick and hot against hers, she thinks that maybe they should stop but it feels too good, it feels _so_ right. There's a crisp and loud knock at the door, causing them both to jump apart.

"Yes?" is all Bonnie can manage to say, looking at Damon and there's a good chance that she looks like a moron right now.

"I made some hashbrowns for breakfast, there's some leftover for when you come down. Lila is getting dressed right now," her dad replies, his voice a little muffled through the door.

"Okay, thanks Dad! I'll be out soon, I'm just getting changed as well," Bonnie says, and she lets out a little sigh of relief when she hears him walk away.

"I should leave you to get changed," Damon says, his voice light but he's not looking at her anymore.

"Yeah, okay."

Damon walks to her door, giving her a small smile that doesn't seem to reach his eyes and closes the door. _So much for not messing things up._

**MARCH 2010**

"So how was the 20s decade dance, Elena?" Bonnie asked, shifting slightly to make herself more comfortable with three pillows stuffed behind her back. The second trimester was less taxing than the first, but one of the worst parts about it was that there were very few positions that were comfortable for her.

"It was really great, me and Stefan danced all night, usually I have to convince him to dance! I'm posting photos on Facebook if you want to see, I'm sure Caroline will call tomorrow to tell you all about it and how her outfit turned out," Elena replies, and Bonnie laughed. "I wish you could've been there, Bon. It's not the same without you."

Bonnie had only told Elena about the pregnancy about a week ago, things still felt a little tentative but she was just happy to be talking to Elena again. She'd been peppered with many questions about why she left and what happened with Damon, Bonnie explained that she'd sent a letter to him explaining she was pregnant, and she had been ashamed to tell Elena about it. It hadn't necessarily been a lie, she was ashamed but just not for the reasons Elena believed to be true. It had taken a lot of convincing for her not to say anything to Stefan or Damon, but so far Elena had kept her promise to stay quiet about everything. The pain was still there, it ached more than she'd like to admit but it was hard to let go of someone she considered a sister.

"I wish I could've been there too, Elena. Maybe not with a baby bump though, I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed the stares. Every time I'm walking down the school hallways, there's _always_ someone staring at me or asking me why I'm pregnant," Bonnie shuddered, and Elena tsked.

"Bon, I really don't know how you do it. I could never be as strong as you have been," Bonnie smiled bitterly at Elena's words; honestly, whenever Bonnie thought of herself, all that came to mind was pathetic.

"Yeah...also, I had an ultrasound a couple days ago. I wanted to tell you the news over the phone."

"Omigod, did you find out the sex!? What is it? Okay, I think it's a boy. Is it a boy? Now I'm not sure. Bonnie, is it a boy?"

"It's a girl," Bonnie giggled at Elena's joyful yells through the phone, earning a look from Aunt Emily who had clearly heard the noise from the call.

"A mini Bonnie! Congratulations, that's amazing, Bon. You're going to have the cutest little girl ever, I just know you will. Wow, that's really incredible. I'm so happy for you, what an amazing moment," Elena said earnestly, but it only made Bonnie feel upset for some reason.

"Yeah, I know it's great...Elena, can I call you back? Pregnancy calls, I gotta take some vitamins and maybe see if I need to pee," Bonnie lied, placing her hand on her belly in an effort to calm herself down. It helped to ground her to the baby, but it didn't seem to work as well this time.

"Yeah, of course, take your time! I'll be waiting. Congratulations again, Bonnie."

Bonnie blinked back tears, hanging up the phone and Aunt Emily looked up, something on Bonnie's face making her get up to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around Bonnie's shoulder.

"I know I shouldn't be crying, I should be staying strong for the baby but it's hard," Bonnie mumbled, feeling the tears spill over. "He should've been here for the ultrasound, he should be here for when we tell everyone. I know I was an idiot to believe our relationship was real, but I thought the baby would make him call or text at least. Why isn't he here, Aunt Emily? If not for me, why not for our daughter?"

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

"Bonnie, this better be an emergency because this phone call is going to throw off my whole hangover routine. I technically shouldn't be up until noon!" Caroline huffs through the phone, her voice a little groggy.

"Sorry, I can call you back later," Bonnie says carefully, trying to keep her voice steady and casual.

"Ugh, well, It's fine...yeah, there's no need to call back. What's up? Oh, did you have a good time last night? You looked amazing, I'm so glad you were there to actually party with us!"

"I had a great time, Care. It was fun dancing with you and Tyler," Bonnie chews on her lip, "Also me and Damon almost kissed last night."

"What?"

"Well, Stefan interrupted us because you know, he was drunk and then we ended up kissing this morning," Bonnie explains quickly, waiting anxiously for Caroline's reaction.

"You…actually kissed Damon?"

"Um...yes."

The line is silent for a couple moments, and Bonnie clutches the phone even closer to her ear. Maybe calling Caroline for advice isn't such a great idea.

"Hello? Care, are you there?"

"I'm here, it's just...damn! Now I owe Stefan fifteen bucks. Well, at least Elena will owe me five. Crap, I really thought I had it," Caroline curses, and Bonnie lets out a startled laugh.

"You guys had a pool going?"

"Duh! Well, we started it like a week ago. I was so sure that you guys were going to kiss last night. Do you think that you could keep it a secret for another week so I can get my money's worth? Wait, but Stefan interfered! You were going to kiss, and he broke it up on purpose! Ooh, I am so going to kick his ass, there's no way I'm giving him my money now. Hold on, shouldn't you be making out with Damon right now or something?"

"Uh, I don't know. Things are kind of awkward right now between us. He came into my room this morning, he was looking for some Advil when he found this necklace, the one he'd given me as a gift when we were dating then we kissed...for a couple minutes, I think."

"A couple minutes? Bonnie, that kind of sounds like a makeout."

"All I know is that it's pretty awkward right now. He's not even here, he basically jumped at the chance to take Lila out this morning. I don't know what to do...I didn't want to complicate things between us, but that's clearly out of the way now."

"Hmm. Well, do you want to be with him?"

"Well, we have Lila so if things end badly between us, I don't want her caught in the middle, and he's coming to Atlanta! I don't want him to feel like he made a mistake moving there. You know, there's still so much that we don't know about each other, and there's so many hoops we have to jump through. He'll be living with us at my aunt's house, but if he finds a place, do I go with him if we're dating? What about work too, we've been trying to create a schedule since I'm still in school and Lila is still so young, but who knows how well it'll turn out."

"Okay, you're starting to sound a lot like me. Wow, normally you're the one calming me down! Is this what it feels like to be the rational one?"

"Care."

"Sorry! Okay, first of all, let's pretend all these other factors like Lila and school don't exist. It's just you and him. Do you want to be with him?"

"Yes. Yes, I do."

"Then there's your answer for what to do. Bonnie, there's always gonna be a million reasons for why you can't be with someone. It's true, you and Damon still have a long way to go, but everyone starts off that way! Besides, I think you and him have already conquered a lot. You guys have a daughter, you're on the same page about parenting and you're already talking about finances. Bon, I've barely talked to Tyler about half the stuff you and Damon have already done. Of course it's not going to be easy, but it's up to you to give it a shot. You choose what you believe is best for the both of you, and for Lila."

"Wow, how are you so philosophical while hungover?" Bonnie grins, feeling slightly melancholic all of a sudden.

"Post-drinking works wonders, Bonnie," Caroline jokes, and Bonnie knows she's smiling on the other end of the line. "Just take some time to think about you and Damon, if you really don't think it's a good idea to date, then say it was a one-time thing! It's not like you need to get married within a year, take it at whatever pace you want."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks for your help, Care. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know! I mean, I love you too. Let me know how everything goes, okay?"

"Of course. I'll talk to you later."

"See you, Bon."

Bonnie hangs up the phone, letting out a little sigh and twists her Grams's ring around her finger thoughtfully.

* * *

Damon shuts Bonnie's laptop, a relieved smile on his face and he moves closer to the edge of the couch, peering out the backdoor window. Lila and Bonnie are playing a game outside, laughter etched onto both of their faces and he can hear the faint sound of music, clearly coming from the radio Bonnie has brought outside. He knows he should tell Bonnie the good news about Uncle Zach, but he's feeling hesitant especially after their kiss yesterday. They still haven't talked about it yet, but he's caught her observing him with a pensive expression. It's unnerving him more than he can stand it. He suspects that she's just going to tell him that it's a mistake and a one time occurence, which is understandable but he's dreading hearing those words. He sucks in a breath, getting up from the couch; Bonnie's dad has already left to get pizza for dinner, and it's not like he has anything better to do.

"Hey you two!" Damon calls, stepping onto the porch and shutting the back door behind him. He jumps down the steps, sauntering toward a grinning Lila and quiet Bonnie.

"Daddy, are you coming to play?!" Lila exclaims excitedly, running forward to grab his hand and tug him towards their little spot in the backyard. He can hear the music clearly now, there's a catchy country song playing and there's two plastic cups of sweet tea on a small tray.

"Of course I am. What are we playing?"

"We're playing chef. I'm making food in my house, and you guys eat it," Lila announces, pointing a finger at the spot of grass next to Bonnie. "You sit right there, okay?"

"Yes, chef," Damon replies solemnly, earning a giggle from Lila and he sits down next to Bonnie; they're right next to Lila's playhouse at least, so the conversation will only be surface-level. Bonnie won't bring up their kiss in front of Lila (he's hoping she won't anyway).

"So, did you hear anything?" Bonnie asks nonchalantly, picking at a blade of grass.

"Yup. He's agreed to give me some money."

"Really?" Bonnie grins happily, "That's great! How much?"

"Somewhere in the 5000 to 8000 range. Even better news, it's not a loan, there's no need to pay him back either, surprisingly."

"Oh wow...I feel like I should send him a fruit basket or something. Did he say why?"

"No, I guess he was feeling pretty generous. It's just him now and my cousin Sarah, I haven't seen her in years but I know she's going to school in New York and maybe our situation reminded him of his family. Well, before my Aunt Gail passed away and when Sarah was little. We're still working everything out, but he's definitely agreed to send me the money. Granted, there was one condition."

"Oh? Should I expect something bad?"

"He said...that he would like us to visit him sometime," Damon answers gravely, earning a smack on the arm and eye roll from Bonnie.

"Jerk," she mumbles under her breath, and he chuckles. "Well, that's really good news. Just two more weeks, but things are already coming together. You're sure that you don't want to stay any longer?"

"Nah, it'll be good to go back now. I can take the summer to start working, things will be less hectic and we can work out the rest before you go back to school."

Bonnie takes a sip of her sweet tea and Lila skips over, holding out imaginary food; Damon pretends to gobble it up from her hands, eliciting a giggle. Bonnie does the same thing when Lila turns to her, her reaction is a little more exaggerated and Damon smiles for a sliver of a second, careful not to let either of them see it.

"Time for dessert!" Lila sings, running back into her playhouse.

"Hey, um, do you think we could talk later? About what happened, uh yesterday," Bonnie says, and he can feel her eyes on him but he just watches Lila pretend to make food.

"Sure, I guess, if you think it's necessary," Damon replies curtly.

"Oh, do you not believe we need to talk about it?"

"Well, it was just a one-time thing, right? No need to go over that."

"If that's what you want, then of course there's no need to discuss it," Bonnie says in a controlled voice, and he turns his head to look at her, feeling irritated.

"I never said I wanted it to be like that," Damon lowers his voice, "I'm doing this for you."

Bonnie gives him an indignant look, "I think I can decide on what-"

"Pizza's here!" Bonnie's dad calls, interrupting Bonnie's angry whisper and Damon gets up; he holds out a hand for Lila to grab, leading her inside and leaving Bonnie.

**APRIL 2010**

"Ah, look at that one, she's beautiful. Or her, the one with the blonde hair? I've always liked blondes, you know me. What about you, Damon? Take your pick, several girls have been eyeing you since we've arrived," Enzo said, casually glancing around the room and Damon took a sip of his drink.

"Not interested tonight," Damon replied flatly, and Enzo sighed.

"Come on, mate. You need to get over her, move on from it. She was just a high school girl, she's not the only fish in the sea!"

"I'd rather just drink, Enzo."

"No, no, just have a little fun! Go for a rebound, nothing serious! Find someone to fool around with, there are plenty of options. Forget about her."

Damon glared at Enzo, his hand clenched around his drink. He didn't say anything, electing to ignore his friend.

"Fine, do what you want," Enzo sighed, "I'll be around somewhere."

Enzo leaves Damon to brood, taking another sip of his drink. He didn't even want to go to a party tonight, Enzo had dragged him out because apparently he's been sulking too much. He just wanted to get properly drunk, and talk to no one. If anything, he wished he was back in his dorm. It'll be even worse when he has to go home for the summer tomorrow, and deal with his jackass father and Stefan the worrywart. He looked around the room again, almost glaring at everyone until he saw someone familiar.

"Bonnie?" he mumbled, squinting into the other room where a petite girl is standing, her hair hiding half her face and she's clearly talking to someone. He walked over to the other room, weaving past people and the girl seemed to be moving further and further away. "Bonnie! Bonnie!"

He's almost right behind her, reaching a hand forward to tap her shoulder. "Bonnie! What are you-"

"Sorry, are you talking to me?" the girl turned around, eyeing Damon curiously. Damon felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, pain blooming in his chest and he lowered his eyes.

"My bad, you looked like someone I knew," he replied, trying not to sound despondent.

"No worries. My name is Joanne," she smiled; she did look a little like Bonnie, but her hair is too dark, her eyes aren't even green, they're hazel but it'll have to do. He smirked at her, knowing that with a couple more drinks, he can pretend that Bonnie was kissing him again.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

"The answer is what is Sicily," Alex Trebek says, and Damon scoffs.

"Idiots," he comments under his breath, folding his arms as he watches Jeopardy. Bonnie's dad is working again, and Bonnie is putting Lila down for bed; dinner was a little weird, Bonnie was pretty quiet but maybe she was still angry or feeling embarrassed. It had been an odd conversation, but she'll probably be over it by tomorrow. As if right on cue, footsteps echo down the hallway and Damon turns his head to see Bonnie walking towards him with her jaw set and a determined expression. She glances at the TV, grabbing the remote quickly and turns it off. "I was watching that, you know."

"Really? That's all you have to say?" Bonnie snaps, and Damon narrows his eyes.

"Should I be saying something else to you?" Damon replies, and Bonnie rolls his eyes, crossing her arms with a vexed expression. "What is your problem?"

"My problem is that you just blew me off earlier! You didn't bother listening to anything I had to say."

"It wasn't my intention to make you feel like I was blowing you off, I was just trying to make things easier for you."

"Damon, I don't need you to decide these things for me, I can make these choices for myself! If I need you to do something for me or whatever, then I will tell you."

"Okay, okay, you're right. I'm sorry, that's my mistake, I should've just let you speak. I just thought it would be better if we didn't have some stupid conversation about us," Damon concedes, thinking they're about to patch things up but instead Bonnie recoils like she's just been slapped.

"Is that what it is to you? Some stupid conversation?"

"What? No! I just don't want to hear you say it was a mistake, okay?"

"I'm sorry, what on earth makes you think that I believe our kiss was a mistake?" Bonnie shoots at him, and Damon goes silent, quickly realizing that he's a moron. But there's an odd feeling spreading throughout his body, he's not sure if it's fear or something akin to happiness.

"Do you not want this to be a one-time thing?" Damon asks, his voice almost at a whisper.

"Look, I've had a lot of time to think about this. I know we have Lila, and you moving to Atlanta to be with us is a whole other set of obstacles but what happened yesterday...I don't think I could forget about it even if I wanted to," Bonnie takes a couple tentative steps forward, sitting down on the coffee table. "If you want to do this, you and me, then we go extremely slow. I don't want Lila to get caught in the middle or be part of our drama if things crash and burn between us. Lila's happiness is the most important thing to me, and I don't want to mess up our relationship either. We already have a good thing going right now, and I want you to be in my life no matter what. So, if you think this is too risky, just say the word and we can forget this ever happened, no bad blood."

"Okay."

"Uhh, okay what?" Bonnie asks slowly, looking nervous and Damon reaches forward, wrapping his hands around hers gently; he examines her closely, watching the anxious look on her face fade and morph into something entirely different.

"Okay, let's do this. You and me, let's give it a shot."

"Really? I mean, that's it? No need to think about it, or call Stefan for advice?" she asks hesitantly, staring at him sharply but he shakes his head.

"Nope, I've already thought about this and made my decision. Besides, I've been waiting a long time to do this."

"To do what?" she frowns, tilting her head slightly in confusion and he releases his hands from hers, wrapping them around her waist. He pulls her off the coffee table and onto the couch, pressing his body against hers and kisses her jaw, her hands wrapped around his neck. She laughs, the vibration resounding through his body and for the briefest movement, seemingly touching his heart as well. "And you're okay with going slow? For Lila's sake, so we can think things through properly and also so I don't end up having anymore surprise children."

"We will move at a microscopic pace and be extra careful," Damon reassures her, caressing her back lightly. "It's going to be hard for me to let you go, though."

Bonnie grins, staring at him warmly and places a hand on his cheek. He leans into the touch, relishing the feeling and knows that everything has changed. "I'm not going anywhere, Damon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, feel free to leave a comment!


	9. 9. You are a terrible nuisance, with your pretty face and little smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Falling, cover by Little Mix (Bonnie's present POV)  
> \- Your Song, cover by Taron Egerton (Bonnie's flashback)  
> \- Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran (Damon's present POV)  
> \- Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo (Damon's flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Description of early labour may not be accurate!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, or the characters. 
> 
> ...I would never promote toxic relationships, making young teens believe that it was what love looks like

Bonnie tugs on her bikini strap a little, stealing another glance at herself in the mirror before helping Lila take off her shirt. They’re at the Mystic Falls swimming pool for the day, getting ready to go outside and Bonnie can’t help but continually glance at herself in the mirror. She’s feeling a little self-conscious, she hasn’t had many opportunities to wear bikinis after giving birth to Lila, even after all these years it still feels a little nerve wracking to go out like this. Especially now that her and Damon are dating, it feels like another set of nerves have been added to her system.

It turns out that dating in secret while both of you are living with your dad is pretty difficult, especially when Damon seems intent on distracting her; thank god there was only a week and a half until they would go to Atlanta, and Bonnie wouldn’t have to hide them anymore. She’s convinced that Aunt Emily isn’t going to let her shut the door completely when they’re both in the same bedroom, but that’s something she can live with. 

“Are you ready to swim, baby?” Bonnie asks Lila, squeezing her daughter’s hand excitedly. 

“Yes, Mommy!” Lila hops around enthusiastically, and Bonnie grabs her bag, leading Lila out of the women’s change rooms and back outside to the pool. The harsh glare of the sun causes her to squint, looking around for Damon; it’s a weekday, so there’s not as many people around and the summer camps always reserve the pool, so there should be more room for Lila to swim around. 

“Hey,” Damon’s voice says from behind her, kissing her cheek quickly and grabs Lila’s other hand with a sly smirk. 

“Hey,” Bonnie gives him a smile, trying not to stare at his still-toned body. The unfairness of him still looking so good is not lost on her. She approaches a chair, setting her bag down and he stuffs his ball of clothes on top. They kick off their shoes, approaching the water; Bonnie bends down, hopping into the water and Damon follows. She turns back to Lila who’s still at the edge, holding out her arms. “Jump in, Mommy will catch you.”

Lila jumps off the ledge happily, beaming and Bonnie catches her just as she reaches the water. She’s wearing a life jacket to support her, but Bonnie can’t help but hold her; she tucks her hands under Lila’s arms, slowly moving her around the water. 

“Hey, I can take her,” Damon says, grabbing Lila gently from Bonnie. “I’ve been thinking, we need to plan out a first date.”

“A first date?”

“Yeah, you know, where two people go out and get dinner or something, generally to get to know each other--”

“Hilarious. What did you have in mind? Is some fancy Italian dinner even a good idea?”

“Italian is always good,” Damon smirks, and she can’t help but laugh. “A first date doesn’t necessarily mean we go all out. We should do it when we’re in Atlanta, which you know better than me so technically you should be coming up with the plans.”

“Oh, really,” Bonnie laughs, following him to the pool steps so Lila can stand properly in the water, “Why not Mystic Falls?”

“Oh, yeah, because this place has so many options. If we go to the Grille, we risk having Donovan be our waiter and Stefan or any of your friends could walk in, start interrogating us for the next half hour. Hard pass, Bon Bon.”

“I can’t say I’ve missed that old nickname,” she watches him set Lila down on a pool step, letting her walk around a little; he sidles up next to Bonnie, turning towards her and slides a hand around her waist. 

“I think I’ve earned it,” he remarks slyly, kissing her smiling lips. They’re taking it slow, but it’s so crazy how comfortable this is, how easy the intimacy of it all feels. Sometimes her happiness feels so overwhelming, like it’s threatening to spill out and explode everywhere, it almost gets her all choked up. She wraps her arms around his neck, breaking the kiss to keep an eye on Lila and presses her cheek against his. 

“Hmm, I mean, Atlanta has a lot of options for stuff to do.”

“You can be like my little tour guide.”

“That’s not a terrible idea, actually.”

“I know it isn’t, that’s why I suggested. Someone needs to help me navigate the city, and who better than the lovely mother of my child?” 

“Were you normally this sappy when we dated before?” Bonnie counters, her cheeks feeling a little hot even though she’s in the cool pool water. “I was thinking that could be our date. Let me be your tour guide, I can show you the city. I know some really good food places, we could go to a nice park or something without draining a ton of money for some overpriced pasta.”

“Not bad, Bon Bon,” Damon picks up Lila, giving her a piggyback. “I’ll see you in about two or three weeks for that first date.”

“Okay, see you then,” Bonnie teases, swimming away with a laugh and lets Damon and Lila chase after her. 

**JUNE 2010**

“Hey Bonnie...what are you doing?” Lucy crossed her arms, eyeing Bonnie with amusement. 

“She was hungry...she wanted some strawberry cheesecake ice cream,” Bonne replied from a mouthful of ice cream, pointing her spoon at her huge belly. Only a couple more days until the baby pops out, and then she could finally stop waddling around, feeling as big as a house. Of course, then the real work would begin and Bonnie would become a mother. Sometimes she’d repeat the words in her head, saying the words out loud at times just to hear what it sounded like. It hadn’t quite set in that she was going to have a baby, it still felt like a dream or hallucination of some kind. 

“So she just wanted ice cream right before bed?”

“Lucy, pregnancy really does a number on you. I can’t deny my baby the excellence that is ice cream.”

“I wonder how you’ll be able to resist that little girl once she pops out,” Lucy teased, and Bonnie’s dad walked into the room, sighing heavily at the sight of Bonnie eating ice cream right out of the tub. 

“She was hungry!” Bonnie explained defensively, shoving another scoop in her mouth and Lucy was clearly stifling her amusement at the look on Bonnie’s dad’s face. 

“I just came to say goodnight,” he held his hands up in surrender, trying not to look too disapproving. He came up to Bonnie, dropping a kiss on her head. “You let me know right away if you feel any contractions, okay?”

“I know where to find you, Dad,” Bonnie smiled, watching him walk out of the kitchen and upstairs to the guest room. 

“I should go now, I still have work tomorrow. Sleep well, cuz,” Lucy said, rising from the table and gave Bonnie a peck on the cheek. “Only three more days--”

“--Until I stop looking like a whale,” Bonnie finished, grinning. 

“Girl, don’t even! Your boobs look amazing, come on. I might as well go get myself pregnant...it’s too bad men do nothing for me,” Lucy lamented dramatically, and Bonnie laughed. 

“Plastic surgery is always an option.”

“Very true,” Lucy smiled. “Goodnight, let me know if the baby decides to come out.”

Bonne chuckled, “Noted. Goodnight, have a good day at work tomorrow. Drive safe.” 

Bonnie continued eating her ice cream happily underneath the dim lights of the kitchen, and listened to the nearby sounds of the city. It was only getting warmer and warmer in Atlanta, which was making her giant belly feel even more unbearable. She felt hot all the time, and she would always waddle around like a duck, it felt like she was rediscovering how to move around. She was really happy her dad was here though, he’d been really great with helping out and figuring out her birth plan. That part was a little nerve wracking though, Aunt Emily couldn’t even remember giving birth to Lucy and all her friends were, obviously, childless. It did make her wish that her mom was around, that she could ask her these questions but most of all she missed her Grams. While it hadn’t been the plan to have a baby this early, she wished that Grams could’ve been alive to hear the news, or to give her some advice. It would’ve been nice to have her be there for all the doctor’s appointments, to feel the baby kick or help her pick out the baby clothes. She missed her almost as much as she missed Damon. A bout of pain rushed through her, lingering on her lower back and her face scrunched up in pain; she clutched her back, shutting her eyes and waited for the pain to subside. 

Once it did, she looked at the clock quickly; that had lasted almost a minute. Was it a contraction? She’d read in her baby books that they would last longer than 30 seconds, and it had definitely been that long. She glanced at her hands, noticing they were shaking and she gulped; she put away the ice cream quickly, and slowly walked up the stairs. It wasn’t Braxton-Hicks, it had definitely hurt and a due date wasn’t 100% set. If she was in early labour, the contractions would be far apart. She knocked on her dad’s door quietly, peeking inside to see him typing away on his laptop. 

“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked distractedly, still staring at his laptop. 

“Um...I think I had a contraction,” she replied quietly, and his head immediately snapped up to meet her eyes, looking slightly panicked. “It definitely hurt, and it lasted for awhile…”

“Oh! Oh, okay, okay, we need to move. Um, I think, I think we should...go grab your overnight bag. Wait, no, you need to rest and not move. EMILY!” her dad suddenly yelled, jumping out of bed and running past Bonnie. “EMILY, SHE’S IN LABOUR!” 

Bonnie watched for the next ten minutes, bewildered at her dad’s barely concealed hysterics and Aunt Emily running around the house, magically forgetting something each time she thought she was packed. Bonnie tried to pick up her bag or help her dad, but she was quickly overtaken by a number of protests and demands to stay put. They finally stepped out the door, walking down the driveway to her dad’s car when she felt another contraction. 

“Stop...contraction…” Bonnie sucked in a sharp breath, squeezing her dad’s hand tightly. It felt like period cramps, but the feeling was starting to shift and become more intense. She waited, trying to pace her breathing and Aunt Emily rubbed her back softly. “Okay...okay, I’m good now.”

“That was forty seconds, contractions seem to be thirteen minutes apart,” her dad said, staring at his watch. “Okay, okay, let’s move! We need to get to the hospital!” 

Bonnie moved slowly to the car, her dad and Aunt Emily hovering over her nervously; the reality was starting to sink in. She was really going to be a mom. 

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

“This is me, you and daddy!” Lila points at her drawing, and Bonnie smiles. They all look like a bunch of odd-coloured blobs, but obviously she’s not about to say it out loud. 

“That looks wonderful, baby. Thank you,” Bonnie kisses the top of Lila’s head, moving her slightly on her lap and then places her hand back on Damon’s knee, letting him intertwine their fingers again. They exchange covert smiles, like they’re sharing a secret when Bonnie feels someone approach their table. 

“Hey guys,” Tyler says tentatively, his eyes flickering between them and Bonnie gives him a smile. 

“Hi Tyler, are you grabbing dinner too?” Bonnie asks politely, still holding onto Damon’s hand and she glances at him, noticing he appears to be somewhat civil. 

“Yeah, just getting takeout for me and Care. Is this Lila?” Tyler smiles kindly at Lila, and Bonnie can feel Lila try to clutch onto her arm. 

“Yeah, this is. Lila, this is my friend, Tyler. He’s also very close with Auntie Care,” Bonnie explains to Lila. Lila waves nervously at Tyler, and Bonnie laughs slightly. “She’s just a little shy.”

“Don’t worry about it. So, when do you guys leave?”

“We have a week and a half left, then we’re going back to Atlanta. We’re going to stay with my aunt, that’s where I lived before and there’s plenty of room for us.”

“That’s good. You know, I think Caroline was thinking of holding a goodbye dinner for you guys here.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I think she texted you about it.”

“Oh, right!” Bonnie nods her head, trying not to appear guilty. She’s been dodging Caroline’s texts and calls, most of them being about her and Damon which she’s not sure if she should answer honestly. “We’ll definitely set something up.”

“I’ll let her know. I better go get my food, see you.”

“Bye Tyler, nice talking to you.”

“See you later,” Damon says curtly, and Tyler waves before walking off. 

“You know, we’re going to have to tell people about us at some point,” Bonnie remarks, noticing Lila hiding a yawn behind her hand. 

“I know. I was thinking that you could deal with your dad, get that out of the way and I’ll tell the others, gather them in a room and tell them, like a press conference,” Damon smirks, and Bonnie rolls her eyes with a smile. 

“Wow, you left me with the one who’ll react the worst.”

“Hey, he’s your dad! If I tell him, I’ll be burned alive. He’ll find some way to roast me, I know it. You at least have a chance of escaping alive after that conversation.”

“Yeah, yeah, and when do you think we should tell everyone we’re dating? Because I already told Caroline that we kissed AND that I wanted to be with you, I’ve been dodging her questions but the cat's going to come out of the bag.” 

“You told her you wanted to be with me?” Damon inquires, his eyes shining softly and she can feel heat creeping up to her cheeks. 

“Well, she is my best friend,” Bonnie replies in a casual tone, but she knows that her cheeks are flushed and the way that he’s looking at her is not helping to dull the heat. “Besides, we should be focused on when to tell them.”

“It’s not high school anymore, we can tell them when the time is right. It’s not a big deal, we’ll be in Atlanta so they can’t bother us as much.”

“Good point,” Lila wiggles around in Bonnie’s lap, laying her head on Bonnie’s chest and her eyes are drooping slightly. “Maybe we should go now, I think someone’s tired.” 

They get up from the table, releasing their intertwined hands and Bonnie tucks a hand around Lila’s thighs, letting her daughter rest on her shoulder. It’s not until they leave the restaurant that they finally do hold hands again, walking to her car when Damon freezes, his body tensing up and his hands feel like they belong to a statue. Bonnie frowns, turning to face him slightly and squeezes his hand gently. 

“You okay?” she asks quietly, looking up at him and following his gaze to a man across the street, who’s walking to his car. She squints a little, realizing that it’s Damon’s father, Giuseppe; as if sensing their presence, he looks up and across the street right at them with a steely poker face, but Bonnie can tell he recognizes her and Damon. “Did you want to go over?”

Her question seems to snap Damon out of his trance, and he shakes his head, finally looking at her. “No. I don’t want to go anywhere near that jackass. Let’s just go, I won’t give him the satisfaction of getting to me.” 

Bonnie turns her head slightly to check if Lila was still resting on her shoulder, and then looks back up at Damon. “Fine. I could use a little satisfaction, though.”

She moves to stare directly at Giuseppe, releasing her hand from Damon’s and slowly lifts up her middle finger to flip him off with a cold expression. Damon lets out a startled laugh, and quickly kisses the corner of her mouth. She feels Lila’s head lift off her shoulder, probably curious about why Damon is laughing and quickly puts down her hand. She turns to face Damon, not bothering to see Giuseppe’s reaction; she’s ready to move on from his father’s meddling, and focus on the people who actually care about them.

She holds Damon’s hand again, smiling at the gleeful look on his face and leans against his shoulder slightly. “Now I’m ready to go.”

* * *

“Okay, we’re not playing this anymore,” Damon snaps, setting the Connect 4 grid back into the box roughly and Bonnie laughs delightedly. 

“Sore loser,” she teases, and he tackles her; they fall back onto her bed, Bonnie on her back with a smile and Damon is on his stomach with his arm around her waist. 

“You clearly had some weird strategy going on...you’re not a witch, right?” 

“Not a witch, just an excellent Connect 4 player. You need to get on my level, Salvatore.” 

They lie there in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Damon rubbing the side of her torso and she’s lightly stroking his hair. Bonnie’s dad is staying at a hotel a few hours away for work, something about a conference but it just means more time for them. Lila has already been put to bed a couple hours ago, and they’ve just been hanging out in Bonnie’s bedroom ever since. 

“Can I ask you something kind of comfortable? I’m just curious, I don’t wanna cuss you out or start a dumb fight,” Bonnie murmurs, and Damon glances at her. 

“Okay.”

“How many girls did you date? After me, I mean.”

“Ah, well, what exactly do you define as dating? Because I’ve had many encounters with the female body.” 

To his surprise, Bonnie actually laughs a little. “I forgot about your track record...okay, how many girls were you with where it lasted more than a month. That’s pretty reasonable, I think.”

“Erm...there were a few, but it never went longer than a month and a half. Once a month swung around, they normally got cut off, but it was never really that serious anyway. Did you date anyone after Lila?”

“I went on a few dates, but things died out pretty quickly. I was upfront about Lila, that didn’t help and probably scared some of them with that. I just never felt like the connection was strong, and she was my first priority. At the end of the day, it was about Lila. I don’t blame them for backing out, dealing with a kid when you’re only starting out is weird. Plus, I couldn’t go out to party every weekend and I wouldn’t drink, because I’d be breastfeeding.”

“Not everyone can handle it, I suppose,” Damon comments smugly. 

“I would’ve expected a stronger reaction from you, you’re not afraid of some competition from Georgia?” Bonnie teases. 

“Who cares? From what it sounds like, most guys in Atlanta are morons and I have the upper hand.”

“That’s true...you know, Lila used to be a biter,” Bonnie says, and he cackles. “Of course you’d find it funny. The other parents weren’t pleased, I had to have many uncomfortable conversations. It didn’t help either that I looked so young, I had a good amount of back-handed comments.”

“I will gladly deal with those parents once we go back. Did she ever bite you?”

“No...maybe once when I was breastfeeding, but she quickly realized that it hurt me and never tried it again.”

“Well then, all I’m hearing is that our daughter knows how to defend herself.” 

“You’re evil, you know that?”

“Maybe, but you _want_ to be with me so evil is your thing,” he smirks, kissing her jaw and she smiles, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. 

“Mmm, now that I think about it, maybe I do have a type. It’s hot guys with dark hair, blue eyes, charming smirks and have a tendency to be evil in some way.”

“Please tell me you’re not also talking about that asswipe Kai Parker.”

“I did say that I have a type,” she laughs, turning on her side to face Damon properly and places a hand on his cheek. “Don’t worry though, you’re not too evil. And you’re an excellent father.”

“Okay judgey, thank you for the seal of approval,” he replies mockingly, but he’s acutely aware that there’s a smile on his face that he can’t seem to suppress. 

**JUNE 2010**

“What the fuck did you just say?” the girl growled, her light green eyes burning with anger and he scoffed, holding his drink carelessly. 

“What do you mean?” Damon slurred, his eyes feeling heavy and the girl huffed loudly. 

“You clearly said another girl’s name while you were kissing me. My fucking name is Pauline,” she snarled, her face contorted in indignation and he shook his head clumsily. 

“I said that.”

“No, you didn’t! You said the name Bonnie!”

He tensed, gripping his drink tightly and he gave her a dark look. “No, I didn’t say that name.”

“You fucking liar, I heard you, you said Bonnie! What the fuck is your deal, asshole?”

“Fuck off,” he retorted hotly, storming away from her and back to his small table in the corner of the bar, where Stefan was watching, looking slightly peeved. 

“You dragged me all the way out to this weird ass bar, just so you can go make out with some girl and get in a fight? I had plans with Elena, you know,” Stefan remarked, and Damon rolled his eyes, sitting down in his seat. 

“To do what? Play checkers and do some gardening, like the old people you are? This is much more fun...except for your lame attitude.”

“Someone has to be sober to drive us home, Damon.”

“God, you’d think that Tommy would be a lot more fun,” Damon spilled a little of his drink, laughing drunkenly. “Whoopsies.”

“Okay, now seems like a good time to actually use my sober card to drive us home. Let’s go, Damon.”

“No, I’m staying here. Party’s not over yet.”

“You’re clearly drunk, you look like you’re about to fall over. Come on, let’s go home.”

“No, I’m not going!”

“Damon, I said let’s go--”

“GO HOME TO WHAT, STEFAN?!” Damon roared, standing up from his seat quickly. “YES, LET’S GO HOME TO OUR DEADBEAT FATHER, SO YOU CAN BE WITH YOUR PRECIOUS ELENA AND DAMON CAN GO FUCK OFF TO GOD KNOWS WHERE! IT’S NOT LIKE ANYONE EVER WONDERS WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM, RIGHT?!”

Damon breathed hotly, trying to pace himself again and Stefan stared at him, keeping his face blank. “Okay.”

“Okay, what?” Damon spat out. 

“We can stay. Do you wanna throw darts, maybe?” Stefan asked lightly, rising from his seat. Damon eyed him for a moment, trying to discern his expression but Stefan just watched him, unblinking with no sign of pity in his eyes. 

“Sure, let’s do it.”

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Stefan holds up the quarter with a grin, and Lila gasps, clapping enthusiastically. Damon tries not to roll his eyes, instead noticing Caroline staring at Stefan with raised eyebrows. 

“Where did you learn to do all these magic tricks?” Caroline asks Stefan, crossing her arms and Stefan looks a little embarrassed now, scratching his head nervously. 

“He learned it at magic camp,” Damon chimes in, smirking at a glaring Stefan and Caroline cups her hands over her mouth, trying not to look too delighted at this revelation. 

“You went to magic camp?” she giggles. 

“It was overnight too,” Damon continues, “Gone for the whole summer, came back with all these card gimmicks and would put on whole shows for us. He was eleven or twelve, maybe.”

“Wow. How did I not know this?!” 

“I tend to keep that information to myself,” Stefan replies, staring pointedly at Damon.

“I like to think it’s his secret life’s ambition,” Damon adds. 

“What does that mean, Daddy?” Lila asks, turning to look at Damon. 

“It means that Uncle Stefan secretly wants to be a magician, baby.”

“Oh! When I’m older, I’m gonna be a dolphin,” Lila declares proudly. 

“You can be whatever you want to be,” Damon tells her solemnly. “Maybe you could be part of Uncle Stefan’s magic show.”

“When I was your age, apparently I wanted to be a fairy princess,” Caroline pokes Lila, smiling kindly. “But I think a dolphin is just as cool.”

“Me and Tyler lost,” Elena says glumly, joining the conversation and leans against Stefan. “Matt comes here for work, so of course he has the upper hand.”

“Of course,” Stefan nods his head solemnly, and Damon can see Caroline is hiding a smile. Everyone knows Elena kind of sucks at pool. 

“You just need more practice, Gilbert. Keep working on your game,” Bonnie joins their little group as well, standing next to Caroline with a smile. They’ve agreed to keep their distance a little for their going-away party, just to make things a little less suspicious. It’s not a big deal, but it would be nice to keep their relationship a secret until they’ve lasted at least a month. 

“How about you and me go head to head, Damon. One last game for old time’s sake,” Stefan offers, smiling. 

“Sure, why not,” Damon shrugs. 

“I can take Lila,” Bonnie says, stepping forward and holding out her hands. Damon hands Lila over, locking eyes with Bonnie. For a second, he’s only focused on her smile reserved for him and the radiant look on her face, until he gets the sense that he’s being watched. He looks around subtly, but Stefan is just taking a sip of his drink and Elena is showing Caroline something on her phone. 

“Okay, you ready to play, Stef?”

Damon and Stefan start setting up the pool table, grabbing the balls out of the pockets and rubbing chalk on the top of the cue sticks. Matt and Tyler have started throwing darts, and the girls are all gathered around the table, chatting animatedly. 

“Do you wanna start off? I’ll be solids,” Stefan asks, and Damon nods. He bends down, lining up the shot and hits the white ball, sending all the others around the table. Damon gestures to Stefan, who in turn starts searching for a good shot. “I know you’re right about Father. I know I should leave.”

“So, are you going to?” Damon watches Stefan miss his shot, and lines up to take his place. 

“I’ve been thinking about it, trying to decide when would be a good time. He already put you through school and he basically paid for everything, so once I graduate, I think that’s when I’ll leave. Just one more year, then I’ll slowly start taking my things out. Since Jeremy is in residence, I could stay in his room, Elena’s parents are apparently more than happy to have me.”

Damon makes his shot, moving around to go again. “That’s good, Stef. Squeeze out the old man’s funds for school, then ditch him. Smart move. Be careful when you do though, if he notices you leaving, he’ll be pissed. I don’t want to hear that your face is black and blue.”

Damon misses his shot, sighing and Stefan finally takes his turn at the pool table, lining up his stick to the white ball. “I’ll get Elena and Matt to help me, and he hardly goes into my room, he won’t notice. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I’m just glad that you’ve given me the push to leave.”

“Uh, how did I do that?” Stefan gets a ball in but misses the shot after that, and Damon takes over. 

“If you could do it, then so can I,” Stefan smiles. “Thank you, brother.”

“Yeah, no need to get all sentimental,” Damon says dismissively, getting another ball in the pocket of the pool table.

“I’m going to miss you, Damon,” Stefan presses further, and Damon exhales loudly, looking up at the ceiling. 

“I’m going to miss you too.”

“Hmm? What was that you said? I didn’t catch that.”

“ _I said_ , I’m going to miss you too,” Damon repeats, ignoring Stefan’s triumphant gaze when he notices Bonnie has gone to the washroom. “I need a bathroom break, you take your turn and I’ll be right back.” 

Damon leaves his pool stick on the edge of the pool table, walking in the same direction as Bonnie and turns down the hallway to the washrooms, surprised at seeing a smug Bonnie. He walks towards her cautiously, and she takes a few steps forward, leaning sideways against the wall. 

“I knew you would follow me,” she teases, pressing her fingers between the collar of his shirt and against his skin. 

“What happened to staying under the radar?” he asks playfully, placing his hand on her cheek and she leans into his touch, smiling at him mischievously. 

“I just wanted to steal away two minutes with you, that’s all,” she says innocently with wide eyes, and he chuckles. 

“I guess we better use that time to our advantage, then,” he leans in to kiss her, feeling her giggle a little against his lips before kissing him back. Her mouth is so warm against his, tasting faintly like coca cola and he grabs her ass, pulling her closer towards him. 

“Wow...that looks like one hell of a kiss, Damon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a comment!


	10. 10. What’s the point in thinking about the what ifs or the maybes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST:  
> \- Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (Bonnie's present POV)  
> \- I've Been Waiting For You by Amanda Seyfried, from Mamma Mia 2 (Bonnie's flashback)  
> \- We Can Always Come Back to This by Brian Tyree Henry (Damon's present POV)  
> \- 7 years by Lukas Graham (Damon's flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Here we are, THE FINAL CHAPTER! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> \- Will include a description of childbirth, may not be 100% accurate!
> 
> \- Will include underage drinking and use of drinking, this is only for the sake of the story and I DO NOT PROMOTE THIS BEHAVIOUR. I've never been high myself, so these descriptions may not be entirely accurate
> 
> \- Nice guesses in the comments! Some of you got it right...but that person wasn't the only one who caught them
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, or the characters. 
> 
> ...I think I'd quit if I had to work with julie plague's terrible ideas

Bonnie practically shoves Damon off of her, shifting to the side to see not only Stefan standing there, but the rest of their friends watching them with somewhat smug expressions; Lila is in Matt's arms, clearly confused at why everyone is gathered around her parents.

"Um...this isn't what it looks like," Bonnie blurts out, and now all of them have disbelieving looks on their faces.

"Really? So you and Damon weren't basically making out with each other?" Tyler asks, crossing his arms with a sly smile.

"Okay, we were just kissing, like a friendly kiss! We're friendly, we're co-parents, that's all," Damon explains, and Bonnie cringes inwardly. Even she wouldn't buy that reasoning if she was in their position.

"Wow, Bonnie, how come I haven't gotten a kiss? I thought we were friends," Stefan says mockingly, and now Damon looks irritated.

"It's a friendly kiss that happens to be reserved only for the father of her child," Damon snaps, and Elena is clearly trying not to laugh, little giggles escaping from her throat.

"Hmm...that almost sounds like dating," Caroline remarks, tapping her chin dramatically.

"No, I wouldn't really say it does-" Bonnie and Damon start speaking at the same time, trying to come up with a good explanation.

"Does that really count as dating? Because I think-"

"-such a loose term anyway, but does not apply-"

"-friends can be affectionate with each other! Look at Drunk Stefan and how he fawns over-"

"-would not jeopardize us or Lila like that-"

"-definitely not dating, though. Not us," Damon finishes, and Bonnie only nods dumbly. She notes that none of them look convinced.

"Okay, you guys are definitely together," Caroline concludes firmly, and the others nod.

"Didn't I tell you, Care? When I saw you guys at the Grille, you were totally holding hands," Tyler points out, and Bonnie feels a little mortified. So much for being subtle.

"-Don't think I didn't notice you dodging my texts, Bonnie! I didn't forget our phone-"

"We know you kissed, Caroline told me and Stef because of our bet-" Elena adds unhelpfully.

"Fine, fine!" Damon exclaims loudly, holding up his hands in defeat. "We're dating. We've been dating for a little over a week now, and we didn't want to say until we reached, I don't know, a month? Also, you guys are extremely nosey."

"No, we're not…!" Caroline trails off, noticing exactly where they're all standing and remembering what they're doing. "Okay, maybe we should move. We're kind of blocking the washrooms."

There's a chorus of agreements, and they all file out of the hallway back to their tables; Bonnie grabs Damon's hand, tugging him closer.

"We're going to need to find some better excuses," she murmurs.

"Cat's already out of the bag, how come?"

"Did you forget that my dad doesn't know? If he catches us, he'll be even less receptive to the idea of a friendly kiss," Bonnie replies, poking Damon's side.

"I forgot about him. We'll just be really careful, we only have three days left here and then we'll be in Atlanta. Home free, and I can kiss you whenever," Damon leers, and Bonnie pecks his cheek.

"Maybe we can use Lila, she could be our shield. He never yells in front of her," Bonnie suggests, noticing that Caroline is standing in front of them, clearly bursting with questions.

"We need to have a little girl talk. Damon, shoo. Go back to your game with Stefan," Caroline says resolutely, her hands on her hips and Elena appears at her side, a shit-eating grin on her face. Damon respectfully walks away, and Bonnie is immediately backed into sitting down at their little table with her two best friends.

"Um, where is Lila…?" Bonnie looks around, noticing that Lila is playing with Matt and Tyler; she relaxes, turning back to Caroline and Elena.

"I can't believe you kept me in the dark for so long!" Caroline rambles, her words spilling out quickly, "You were ignoring my texts about you guys and declining my calls, AND THEN Tyler comes home talking about how you guys were acting all lovey at the Grille! Unbelievable, AND I lost the second bet about you guys dating, Bonnie!"

"You guys started ANOTHER bet about me and Damon?"

"Okay, it was just Caroline, Tyler and Stefan this time. I had nothing to do with it," Elena pipes up. "I'm really happy for you guys, Bon. You guys are already too cute together, and I told you that you guys weren't done yet!"

"Yeah, you guys are cute together, and I'm happy for you too," Caroline admits begrudgingly, "but I'm never getting into a bet again. Also, I expect to be the first one to know when Damon proposes."

"Hey, why not me?" Elena cries.

"Okay, first of all, I think my dad would rank higher. No, Lila would be the first if she wasn't there. Also, there are no plans for marriage. Me and Damon are taking it extremely slow. We both want to make sure Lila stays happy, and to not destroy our relationship. We don't want to rush into any big decisions."

"Bonnie, I swear you're the wisest person I know," Elena replies, shaking her head with a smile. "Well, whatever happens, you guys make the cutest family...just imagine what would have happened if you hadn't come back to Mystic Falls."

"And the only reason you came back is because your dad couldn't get out of work to celebrate Lila's birthday! So crazy," Caroline laughs softly, and Bonnie's eyes flicker over to Damon, catching his gaze.

"Yeah, so crazy," Bonnie echoes, her focus on Damon and the soft look in his eyes as they exchange secretive yet affectionate smiles.

**JUNE 2010**

Bonnie felt like she was stuck in a never ending loop of pain. Or it felt like she was about to poop. At this point, she couldn't tell the difference between the two. The pain was so intense and it almost felt like she was burning, or more like she was having a million period cramps at the same time. Her face felt slick from all the sweat dripping down her face quickly, gritting her teeth together and clenched her dad and Aunt Emily's hands so tightly that she could feel their bones.

"She's almost out, Bonnie!" her doctor said loudly, and she pushed again, letting the pain overtake her and let out a couple yells; high-pitched wails bounced off the walls of the room, and Bonnie collapsed back onto the delivery table.

"I can't look...I can't…" Bonnie heaved; it was over but now all these conflicting emotions swirled inside of her, growing stronger and stronger. Her baby continued to cry, which only made Bonnie feel even more emotional. "I can't...oh my god...it's too real, I can't…"

Aunt Emily gently wiped her cheeks with a tissue, and Bonnie realized she was crying. She had her head to the side, trying to slow her breathing and listened to the nurses who were currently handling her baby, cleaning off any fluids and checking her baby's health.

"Hey, Bon, you did it," her dad told her, observing her anxiously as she cried, letting her dad smooth out her hair kindly. She was a mom now.

"Congratulations, baby," Aunt Emily squeezed her hand reassuringly, wiping the tears off Bonnie's face and she gave her aunt a watery smile. Every emotion seemed to be battling for dominance, she felt overloaded now that the reality had finally sunk in.

She was responsible for a life, in charge of raising an actual person and she wanted to be a good mom so badly. But could she even do it? She'd only graduated high school a couple weeks ago, she was barely prepared for life. The countless baby books she read now seemed useless at the moment, it felt like they hadn't even come close to preparing her for being a mom. She wanted to give this baby a good and loving home, nothing like the loneliness and confusion she'd known in her childhood. She'd been a constant wreck throughout the pregnancy, and now the moment of truth had finally arrived, was she really prepared to do this? It would no longer be her life, it would be their life. The nurses finally turned around, smiling and one of them carrying a little bundle in their arms. Bonnie shut her eyes for a moment, feeling terrified as she heard them approach and she peeked an eye open, sucking in a sharp breath at the sight of a little face surrounded in a bundle of blankets.

"Here's your daughter, Bonnie," the nurse said, smiling warmly as she passed the bundle over to Bonnie. "You should put her on your chest, get some skin contact."

Bonnie felt like her heart had stopped for a moment, taking her baby gently and letting the nurse wrap the two of them under a couple blankets. Her baby looked so tiny, but so beautiful. How was it possible that she'd given birth to something so lovely, so wonderful? She didn't understand how, but she already loved her daughter; it should be impossible to love someone so quickly, to love a stranger with no name that has only been a part of the world for less than two minutes but it was true.

"She's amazing, Bonnie," Aunt Emily breathed, leaning closer to get a good look at the baby.

"My first grandbaby...you did good, Bon," her dad added, kissing Bonnie's forehead and she grinned widely, her gaze focused on her daughter.

Her daughter blinked blearily, opening her eyes to gaze up at them; the colour was very dark, but it was clear as day that they were blue. Maybe that should've made Bonnie upset, but all she could feel was pure joy and unbridled love. Every fear and doubt had magically vanished in its wake, and she felt like she was in a trance, all her attention captured by her daughter. She felt a few more tears spring to her eyes, rolling down her cheek silently but unlike all the other times, it wasn't out of anguish or despair or anger; only out of pure happiness. Bonnie knew that she would never be alone again.

"Hey baby, it's me, your mom. It's nice to finally meet you."

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

Bonnie hums along softly to "Ex-Factor" by Lauryn Hill, folding another one of Lila's shirts and tucks it in a suitcase. Damon is downstairs with Lila, trying to round up some of her toys to take back to Atlanta. It feels so weird to be leaving now, it seems like yesterday she had just arrived but at the same it feels like it's been four months instead of one. Her emotions have been teetering between excitement and sadness, at returning to her home in Atlanta but also leaving her dad and friends behind. There had been no love lost when she first left Mystic Falls, but leaving now actually had her feeling a little reluctant to go. The door opens suddenly, jolting Bonnie out of her thoughts and she looks up to see her dad standing in the room, shutting the door quietly.

"Dad, hey. What's up?" Bonnie asks, folding another shirt and frowns slightly at her dad's weird stance, an accusatory look on his face. "Dad? Is everything okay?"

"I know you and Damon are dating again, Bonnie," he answers sharply, examining Bonnie closely for any sort of reaction. She keeps her face neutral, trying to calm the panic rising and takes a deep breath.

"What makes you think me and Damon are together?" she asks calmly, leaning across the bed to turn off the music.

"Bonnie, I'm not an idiot. I've seen the way you two have been acting lately, and Liz Forbes came up to me yesterday when I was at city hall, mentioning how great it was that Damon and you had patched things up. It's not that hard to put two and two together."

Bonnie takes a deep breath, bracing herself for the incoming conversation. It would be easier to lie, but it's her Dad and the truth has to come out at some point. "Okay, it's true. Me and Damon are back together."

"Bon...what the hell are you thinking? Getting back together? Think about what this could do, what could happen if the two of you crash and burn! Poor Lila will be caught in the middle!"

"Dad, you have every reason to be worried for Lila but me and Damon have agreed that she will never be affected by our relationship. Damon understands what it means to grow up in an unhappy household, he's lived through it. Damon knows these feelings, his father is a deadbeat and his mom died when he was young, he only had Stefan until Stefan and him grew apart. Like how after Grams died, I was alone," Bonnie's dad looks away, clearly uncomfortable but she continues, "You probably already know this, but I was so confused when I was younger. You were unhappy, always distant with me and Mom was gone, I didn't understand why for a long time. Damon and I don't want Lila to feel the way we did when we were growing up, that's one thing I know for certain. We would've never started dating if we thought we were gonna mess things up for her."

"Damon is a good father, but what about you, Bonnie?"

"What do you mean?"

"You deserve better than him, Bonnie. What has Damon done to prove himself to you, to show that he's worthy?" he asks desperately, and Bonnie scoffs.

"Damon doesn't need to earn me, or prove himself. There is no better or worse, it's not about deserving. We are both regular people, who make mistakes just like anyone else. I have just as many flaws as him, hell I've fucked up more than he ever has! Life is not built to be black and white, people don't just fit into one category. I know who Damon is, I see him and I understand him, and in a way I feel like he understands me like no one else does. I know the choices I'm making, I want to be with him and go to Atlanta, start a life there with him by my side."

"Do you love him?"

"No, but I will one day. And when I do, eventually I'll never want to be without him. It won't happen tomorrow, or next week, but it could be in a year or two. We're going slow, we're taking our time. I...I'm not going to make the same mistakes that you and Mom did," Bonnie says softly, watching her dad sigh and rub his face tiredly.

"I'm just worried for you, Bon."

"I know you are. It's going to be okay, though. I don't plan on marrying Damon just because we have Lila, like you and Mom. I know you guys had to get to know each other after you were married, but me and Damon have the rest of our lives to get to know each other," Bonnie tells him earnestly, and her dad sits down on the bed next to her.

"Promise me you won't make the same mistakes that I did?" he smiles sadly, patting her hand.

"I promise. Do you think you could promise me something too?"

"Of course, anything for my daughter."

"Promise me that you'll try to be happy. I know how important work is to you, but it's not everything. You're a great grandpa, and you've done so much to help me and Damon as well. But I want you to find happiness of your own. Create more of a life for yourself, Dad. Take up a hobby, go out with work friends and maybe even try to meet someone. Please, promise me that you'll create more of a life for yourself."

"I'll try for you, Bonnie. But I'm happy as long as you're happy...and if Damon's the one that makes you happy, then I will attempt to be okay with that," he coughs, looking a little begrudging but that's enough for Bonnie.

"He does make me happy, Dad. More than you could ever know."

* * *

"Hey, you're awake," Bonnie whispers, and Damon can feel a few butterfly kisses against his skin. Her hand is on his shoulder, tracing circles and he grabs her hand, kissing it softly.

"It's still early...why are you already awake?" he asks, his voice a little rough from sleep.

"Just thinking, that's all. I can't believe we're leaving today, it's kind of crazy."

"Hmm, yeah. I guess it's different this time around."

"Last time I left, I didn't even care. I was so focused on getting out of here, I didn't even stop to think about the memories. It felt too painful. Now it feels hard to go. I know I can't stay, but it's sad. After all, Mystic Falls gave me you."

"Not true. Mystic Falls gave me you, because I was born here first, and when I came back that was when I met you."

"It took us two years to actually date, and for the first year I thought you were an asshole."

"Hush, I came here first so I have seniority."

"Well, I didn't have the time to catch up to you," she grumbles. "You know, my aunt and cousin are very excited to meet you, but they don't mess around. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they had some mini tests in store for you."

"I'll just use my southern hospitality and charm, and I'm sure they'll love me right away. The Bennett family seems to have a certain soft spot for me, look at your dad, we're already best buds," Damon informs her, and she laughs affectionately, patting his chest.

"You know, I'm a little surprised he let us actually sleep in the same bed, but I guess he really wanted his office back."

"Or I'm growing on him. I think I'll win him over soon enough, then me and him can finally go for those romantic walks on the beach and have candlelit dinners together."

"I would pay to see that," Bonnie replies, getting up from bed and pulling open the curtains, letting the sunlight spill through. She turns back towards him, looking at him with all this affection and contentment, practically golden against the rays of the morning sun and it's too much to handle.

"Stop staring at me like that," he blurts out, and she tilts her head to the side, looking a little puzzled. "It's distracting."

"Distracting? I'm sorry for disturbing you, I didn't realize you were in the middle of something important," she points out, a toothy grin on her face and she approaches the edge of the bed. He turns on his side, leaning on his elbow to face her and fixes her with a serious look.

"You are a terrible nuisance, with your pretty face and little smile," he tells her gravely. "And now, I'll have to kiss you to prove it."

"I should warn you, my morning breath can be really unpleasant sometimes."

Damon sighs dramatically, reaching forward to pull her back onto the bed. "That is a chance I'll have to take."

She throws her head back, laughing and he threads a hand through her hair, pulling her in to kiss her. Her mouth is soft and pliant against his, her hand sliding down his backside and he feels her cup his ass.

"Did you just touch my ass?" he asks in surprise, and she giggles but doesn't remove her hand.

"You have a nice behind," she answers cheekily, and kisses him quickly. She gets up from the bed again, walking into her tiny washroom and starts brushing her teeth.

"This is giving me flashbacks to when we would stay the night before, except your dad wasn't home and we didn't have a kid to attend to."

"Those were the days, right?" she teases after spitting up her toothpaste. "Didn't you sneak out of my window one morning, because my dad came home a day early from work?"

"Man, I forgot about that," he finally gets out of bed, looking out her window at the maple tree off to the side. "That sneaking out was stunt worthy, only minor scrapes and bruises."

"All I remember is you falling on your ass when you tried to jump to the ground," Bonnie snorts from the washroom. He rolls his eyes, walking over to the washroom and picks up the mouthwash, taking a little shot of it and starts gargling it in his mouth. "Don't forget that everyone's coming to say goodbye today."

Damon finally spits out the mouthwash. "That is going to take at least an hour. Every single one of you is supremely emotional and all sentimental."

"We get it, not your style, Damon," Bonnie replies, rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Ah, Bon Bon, what would I do without you?" he asks, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation, and she laughs affectionately, pulling him in for another kiss.

**JUNE 2010**

Damon took another hit from his joint, blowing out the smoke with a smile as Stefan cackled hysterically at the story Damon had just told about hiding their Father's favourite pen. It's really not that funny, but for some reason it's hilarious when you're as high as a kite and your brother is already halfway through his third beer.

Stefan has been spending more time with Damon since school finished for him, and Elena is out of town for some family emergency, their Father is at his branch in Columbia so they're celebrating Damon's birthday by themselves. Damon's pretty sure that Stefan is spending more time with him to make sure he doesn't go off the rails, which should be reason enough to go off the rails, but Damon doesn't really care at this point. He doesn't really mind the company, anyway.

"Damonite, I'm gonna puke soon," Stefan sang, swinging his beer in the air lazily and Damon chortled.

"If you puke on the roof, Father is going to be mad!" Damon replied lightly, shaking a finger at Stefan and taking another hit. "Don't call me Damonite either, it's a lame nickname and nine year old me didn't know what he was thinking."

"Oh no, Damonite is a very cool nickname," Stefan nodded his head solemnly with wide eyes.

"That's just Drunk Stefan talking."

"It is cool!"

"Sometimes I can't believe you're part of this family," Damon blurted out, feeling Stefan watching him curiously. Stoned Damon pretty much lost his filter, everything just comes out with no thought. He no longer had control over what came out of his mouth, and it made him very glad that only Stefan was around. "No one is like you...Father has been a jackass since the beginning of time, and Mom was nice but never really did anything to stop Father's shit."

"Shouldn't that mean I'm like Mom? I'd like to be like her."

"No, because Mom still had an attitude and could be snobby. You're not like that. You and Elena will have the perfect little family, with adorable cherub babies and a white picket fence house."

"Is that bad?"

"No. I just won't be getting that."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why, Stef? Is it so bad that not everyone wants that?"

"I just thought you wanted it, I think you'd be happy living that life," Stefan pointed out, sounding all innocent and curious.

"No, I'm going to be a bachelor for the rest of my life"

"That sounds kind of lonely. Are you sure you want that?"

Damon took another hit, "No. I know I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life, so what's the point in believing otherwise."

"That's not true...you'll have a family, and what was it? Cherry babies or whatever with a house. You can't be alone anyway, you have me, Damonite," Stefan took a swig of his beer, an unfocused smile on his face and Damon rolled his eyes. The only thing worse than letting everything just slip out without a thought was dealing with sentimental Stefan; no, what was worse was that Stefan's words were always genuine, and would go to unneeded lengths to prove it. "Remember when you were twelve, and I accidentally deleted all your progress on Halo?"

"Yes, and then I punched you and tried to give you a wet willy because you always hated those."

"Not the point! You promised me a lifetime of despair...a forever of anger...that can't be right, what was it?"

"An eternity of misery?"

"Yes! An eternity of misery! So you see, we're stuck together for eternity," Stefan hummed happily, getting up on wobbly legs and steadied himself on the slant of the roof. "To an eternity of misery! Cheers, happy birthday!"

"I don't know if I should cheer you to that."

"You have to do the cheers, Damonite!" Stefan whined, holding out his beer bottle insistently and Damon reluctantly tapped his joint against Stefan's beer. "Yay! We'll be alone together forever with my house full of babies!"

"Oh joy," Damon remarked in a deadpan voice, watching with amusement as Stefan began dramatically singing some Bon Jovi song at the top of his lungs. Damon had been pretty sure this was going to be a crap birthday, but an eternity of celebrations like these with Stefan don't seem that bad.

**PRESENT DAY: 2013**

"Aunt Elena's going to miss you so much," Elena says, hugging Lila tightly and finally lets her go, kissing her cheek. Lila steps away, letting Bonnie's dad quickly scoop her up.

"Me and Lila will be in the car, we'll let you guys say goodbye," he says kindly, walking away to the car. For a moment everyone is frozen, unwilling to actually say goodbye until Caroline rushes forward, throwing her arms around Bonnie fiercely. All Bonnie's friends have come to say goodbye, and Damon suspects that the waterworks are about to begin. He can hear the two girls sniffling loudly, whispering to each other and Caroline's eyes already look a little glassy; Elena approaches him, a melancholic smile on his face and she hugs him gently.

"Take care of each other, okay? I hope you find happiness in Atlanta, you deserve it," Elena murmurs, patting his back slowly.

"I will, as long as you take care of Stefan for me. I need someone to watch his back since I won't be around anymore. "

Elena finally releases Damon, a bittersweet look on her face and she touches his shoulder reassuringly, "You know I will."

Elena steps away to go hug Bonnie and say goodbye, and Damon is faced with the rest of Bonnie's friends, all of them looking particularly fierce and somewhat protective.

"You take care of Bonnie, okay?" Tyler says, his arms crossed as he observes Damon closely.

"I hope you two are happy in Atlanta," Matt adds, managing a minuscule smile for Damon.

"I will...Bonnie is lucky to have you two as her friends," Damon replies carefully, which actually seems to surprise them and they give him a polite nod before moving to say goodbye to Bonnie. Damon sneaks a quick glance at Bonnie, noticing that she's already tearing up a little, and Matt is moving in to hug her with a kind smile. Damon turns back to focus on a waiting Caroline, staring at him pensively with crossed arms.

"We haven't been on the best of terms...ever, really. But, I can see that you're a good dad and that you and Bonnie really care for each other. I hope everything in Atlanta goes well...you'll never hear this from me again, but I'm rooting for you, Salvatore," Caroline admits solemnly, giving him a faint smile.

"That is awfully nice of you to say, Carebear," she rolls her eyes as he smirks, "One day you'll warm up to me, I know it."

"Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

Caroline has a mischievous twinkle in her eye before walking back to Tyler, and Stefan is standing in her place with a forlorn look and glassy eyes. Damon's about to open his mouth to tell his brother not to be so sentimental; next thing he knows, Stefan is hugging him and Damon is pretty sure Stefan is going to lose it soon.

"I think this is the first time that you're actually leaving and not coming back...even when you were in college, you always came back," Stefan sighs, trying not to sound crestfallen.

"You're not mad that I'm leaving, right?"

"Of course not, I'd go too if I was in your position. It's just that we've always been together, even when we hated each other. I'm gonna miss you, brother."

"I'm gonna miss you too," they finally stop hugging, and Stefan's eyes are definitely looking watery, "If Father gives you any trouble, do not hesitate to call, okay? I'll come back here and help you deal with him however I can."

"I'll be fine, Damon. You won't need to come down...we'll see each other soon, under happy circumstances, I promise," Stefan gives Damon one last sad smile, before walking over to Bonnie. Stefan hugs her gently, whispering something in her ear and she nods tearfully. They break apart, Bonnie telling him something else quietly and Damon saunters over quietly to them, placing a hand on Bonnie's shoulder as Stefan retreats to Elena's waiting arms.

"Are you ready to go, Bon?" Damon asks softly, and she nods reluctantly.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Damon leads Bonnie to the car, letting her hold onto him like a lifeline; Damon heads for the driver's seat, sliding into the car and Bonnie is next to him in the passenger's seat. Bonnie's dad is in the back with Lila, showing Lila some toys for the car trip and handing her apple slices to eat. Damon turns on the car engine, looking out the car window at everyone's faces; Stefan has his arms around Elena, trying not to look despondent and Elena is waving at them with tear-filled eyes. Matt and Tyler are standing shoulder to shoulder, watching with bittersweet expressions and Caroline has her chin tucked on Tyler's shoulder, tear tracks glittering on her face. Damon shifts the gear into reverse, pulling out of the driveway with a heavy heart as everyone waves at them; Damon raises his hand one last time, and drives away from Bonnie's house. Bonnie's wiping her eyes subtly, staring straight ahead as Damon turns onto the main road.

"Are you okay, mommy?" Lila asks curiously from the back, after a few moments of quiet sniffling from Bonnie.

"I'm fine, baby. Just sad to be leaving your aunts and uncles. I'm going to miss them, that's all," Bonnie takes a deep breath, looking a little more calm. "But I'm happy to go back home with you and Daddy, that I get to see aunt Lucy and aunt Emily again."

"Me too," Lila chirps happily, and Damon grabs Bonnie's hand. He feels her hold up his hand to her cheek, leaning on it gently.

"We're going to be okay," he tells her quietly. He glances at her, noticing that she's smiling brightly at him, her eyes no longer filled with tears but rather affection and it's that special look she seems to reserve for only him. Like he's the only person that matters in the moment, and as if there's no one else around.

"I know we will be," she responds simply, and he gives her a smile before turning his eyes back to the road.

He knows that he's not in love with Bonnie, but that it'll happen one day. Maybe it would take awhile to figure it out, or it would be instantaneous but as soon as he knows, everything will click into place. He'll reach the point of no return, when he can no longer turn back or walk away. Trying to forget her will be torture, everyone else will become ruined for him and he'll never be able to let her go. It definitely won't happen tomorrow, not even next month but sometime in the future, maybe even in a year or so.

For now, they have a nice first date all planned out. They'll leave Lila at home, Bonnie is going to get them chilli dogs from someplace called The Varsity, and lead him around the city with warm smiles and unbridled laughter. He thinks that's a pretty good place for them to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, everyone. While there will be an epilogue, this is where we leave Bonnie and Damon; someone else will be our "narrator" for the epilogue, it's someone who's very much featured in this story (it's not a hard guess, I'm sure you guys will figure it out). The epilogue has really been reworked and modified a million times, it's still a work in progress. At the earliest, the epilogue will be release next friday but I'm happy with it at the moment, so there's no guarantee it will be released then. HOWEVER, THE EPILOGUE WILL BE RELEASED SOMETIME THIS MONTH.
> 
> Some of you might be thinking "uh why aren't they in love now" or "wtf so they don't even love each other," which I get since it can be a more satisfying conclusion, but that wasn't the point of this story (and they've been together for less than a month). This story is called "We Can Always Come Back to This" for a reason; the title is based off a great song from the tv show "This Is Us," but the song's meaning is what drives the significance behind it. According to the composer, the song means that life never really ends and we can always come back to the things/people/places we love. It's never really over. Bonnie and Damon found their way back to each other, back to the people that care about them and that's what the story was really about from my perspective; they're going to fall in love someday, but today was not that day.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, leaving kudos, comments and taking a chance on my story, I'm so grateful for the love and support. It's so great to see that other people are in the same boat as me (shipping bamon lol), especially considering the tvd fandom seems to be filled with mostly dullena shippers. Thank you for the comments, thank you for even reading just one chapter of my fanfic! Feel free to leave a comment, and watch out for the epilogue!


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- The epilogue is my homage to the TVD characters that deserved better. While this story may be a human AU and frankly not as complicated as the show, it ends the way I wanted the show to end for the characters: happy and surrounded by love. None of the characters in TVD got the ending they deserved, I will forever be angry at the writers for that godawful series finale and this epilogue is my way of getting a shred of satisfaction for myself.
> 
> \- I hope you all enjoy this epilogue, characters may seem a bit OOC but it's a human AU and most of them are a lot older now so growth LOL
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, or the characters.
> 
> ...I know what a satisfying conclusion looks like, can't say the same for the writers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLAYLIST (NO PARTICUALR ORDER):  
> \- I Say A Little Prayer, cover by Phillip Ingram  
> \- Photograph, by Ed Sheeran  
> \- Somewhere Only We Know, Glee cover  
> \- Yours, by Jason Mraz

“Oh, come on! Please, Hope, you have to tell me who she is,” Lila pleads, giving Hope a beseeching look through the wide bathroom mirror but she just laughs. 

“Lil, if we actually start dating,  _ then  _ I will tell you who she is.”

“What?! I’m your best friend, I won’t be like Caroline or your dad, it’s not like I’m going to drive down to New Orleans to spy on you!” Lila points out, pulling up the one shoulder of her cream-coloured dress and adjusting her box braids, putting them over her shoulder. She’s starting to think she picked the wrong dress, it feels like it needs to be fixed every five minutes. 

“I swear, you will be the first to know if she becomes my girlfriend,” Hope blushes for a second, but then quickly clears her throat, “So, how’s the college search going?”

Lila crosses her arms, a little peeved by the abrupt subject change but decides to let it go for now. “It’s going good. I’m considering Emory University, University of North Carolina and Virginia Commonwealth University. We’re going to Virginia to see the campus sometime in the next couple months, just me and my Dad. I was thinking of looking at universities out west too, but I don’t know if I want to go that far from home. It feels like if I go far away, I’m going to miss out on everything.”

“Yeah, I know how that feels. Natty is five, so she’s older but Laurel is only two. It’ll be weird not being around, she’s my sister but normally sisters grow up around the same time. But maybe you could just tour the campus, no strings attached. At the end of the day, it’s your choice.”

“Older sibling club, right?” Lila offers, holding up a hand for a high-five and Hope chuckles. 

“Yup, older sibling club,” they high-five, laughing a little and they step out of the bathroom, noticing that Aunt Lucy and Nathalia are in the room. 

“Wow, you two are making me feel extremely old right now,” Aunt Lucy remarks with a smile, watching as Hope and Lila sit down on the couch across from her. 

Nathalia approaches Lila, climbing onto the couch so she can sit in Lila’s lap; her sister’s always been like that, finding some way to drape herself across someone’s lap. Lila figures it’s just the way that little kids act, and it teeters between sweet or annoying at times.

“Lila, where’s Mommy?” Nathalia asks, looking up at Lila with concerned eyes. 

“She’s getting ready for the party, it takes a long time for her to get ready. Actually, where’s everyone else, Aunt Lucy? I thought Grandpa would be here, or Jess would be with you.”

“Aunt Emily can’t come up the stairs, so she’s sitting in the lobby with your Aunt Elena and your cousins. Grandpa is also getting ready, and Jess is helping your Mom.”

“What about Shauna?” Lila asks, frowning a little. She’s pretty sure that Shauna is coming, considering that she’s been Grandpa’s girlfriend for almost seven years; everytime Lila sees Shauna, she always finds some way to slip her a chocolate bar. 

“Don’t worry, she’s here too, I think she’s helping out Caroline,” Aunt Lucy replies, “Hope, your stepmom really knows how to plan a party. You’ll invite me to your sixteenth birthday party, right? I can only imagine that celebration.”

Hope chuckles, “I think my mom will rein in Caroline...but then my dad will probably want to go big too. Honestly, they’ll probably end up inviting a million people so you can definitely come.” 

“Hopefully wherever it is, the venue is nicer than this place. I can’t believe this was their venue, this place is like something out of the 1860s...smells a bit like it, too,” Lila adds, wrinkling her nose distastefully. 

Aunt Lucy laughs, “Let’s just say it wasn't the first choice.”

“What do you mean by smells like it, Lila?” Nathalia pipes up, touching Lila’s necklace gently.

“Smelling like the 1860s means...well, it means that there’s kind of a bad smell, Natty. Like...a poopy smell,” Lila replies, a smile creeping up on her face as Nathalia giggles. Apparently poop jokes are very popular with kindergarteners, but they’re also considered a ‘bad word’ in class; Lila makes sure not to make those silly jokes in front of her parents, and she knows that Aunt Lucy won’t rat her out. 

Hope’s phone vibrates, and she looks down to check the notification, “Hey, Caroline wants you and Nat to go find your mom. I guess you guys have to go down soon.” 

“Ooh, that’s exciting. The party’s going to start soon, Natty!” Lila gets up from the couch, holding Nathalia’s hand. “Promise me you’ll save me a dance, Mikaelson?” 

“You know I will,” Hope winks, grinning and Lila turns to Aunt Lucy. 

“Promise me you’ll save me a glass of champagne, Aunt Lucy?” Lila tries to give her a charming grin, but Aunt Lucy just chuckles. 

“Nice try, but I’m not about to get cussed out by your parents, or Aunt Emily, or your Grandpa, or Jess.”

“What?! C’mon, I don’t think Jess would mind!”

“Considering she’s my girlfriend, I think I would know better,” Aunt Lucy replies smoothly, and Lila huffs exaggeratedly. 

“Okay, okay, see you guys later,” Lila complains, but she’s smiling and leads Nathalia out of the room to find their Mom. 

**JANUARY 2019**

Lila pushed open the door softly, stepping inside her parents’ bedroom and tiptoed through the dark to Mommy’s side of the bed. She peered at her Mom’s face nervously, but was surprised to see that her Mommy was wide awake with a lazy smile. 

“Hey...everything okay?” Mommy whispered. 

“I had a nightmare,” Lila whispered back softly, and her Mom peeled back the covers so Lila could crawl into bed with her. 

“Your brother is really active right now, he always kicks at night, so he keeps me up too. That’s why I’m always sleeping in.”

Lila frowned, turning on her side to face Mommy properly, “I thought babies only kicked during the day...don’t they go to bed, Mommy?”

“It’s a little different when they’re still in your belly, babies work differently,” her Mommy grabbed Lila’s hand, pulling back some of her covers to reveal her large baby bump and placed Lila’s hand on her belly; Lila noticed her Dad’s hand was also on Mommy’s belly. Her Dad was always doing that, always touching Mommy and her belly no matter what. Maybe he just liked to feel the baby kick too, it was pretty fun. Lila could feel the tiny taps against the palm of her hand, a grin spreading across her face as she felt her little brother move. 

She was really excited to have a little brother, her friends and Aunt Lucy said that they start out as babies that don’t do anything, but eventually they do stuff. That’s okay with Lila, she didn’t mind waiting for her brother to play. 

“Watch what happens when I try to move Daddy’s hand,” her Mommy murmured mischievously, grabbing her Dad’s hand and moved it gently off her belly. Lila watched her Dad’s hand automatically find its way back onto her Mommy’s belly, and stifled a few giggles to not wake up her Dad. Mommy did it again, and Lila saw her Dad’s hand still snake its way back onto her Mommy’s belly. Lila poked her Dad’s hand, pushing it off her Mommy’s belly while suppressing her laughter and her Dad finally groaned. 

“Bon, what are you doing?” he mumbled, still half-asleep and moved closer to Mommy, his face nestled in her shoulder and his hand now resting firmly on the centre of her Mommy’s belly. 

“We should probably try and sleep now,” Mommy whispered to Lila. Lila shut her eyes, snuggled up right beside her Mommy and let herself drift off peacefully. 

**PRESENT DAY: 2027**

“Hey, can you help me pin back some of my braids?” Lila’s Mom asks, and Lila walks up beside her, taking the bobby pins and grabbing a couple braids. “You know, I was really nervous on my wedding day. I don’t even know why, I just remember feeling nauseous and I kept wiping the sweat off my hands onto the couch, because your Auntie Care was mad that I kept wiping it on my wedding dress.”

“Hmm, that sounds like you,” Lila responds with a smile, her eyes flickering to the mirror and for a second it looks like her Mom is her twin sister. Ever since they both got box braids, they seem to look even more alike except for the eyes. She’s the only one of her siblings that has her Dad’s blue eyes. 

“Me and your dad didn’t even really want a wedding, we were fine with eloping or having a tiny ceremony but your Grandpa, Aunt Emily and Auntie Care were not on board with that,” she admits, her eyes a little unfocused at the memory as she twists her wedding ring pensively. Lila can’t help but glance at the ring on her own finger, the emerald jewel gleaming in the light; her Mom had given it to her last year as a birthday gift, it had belonged to her Mom’s grandmother and apparently it was like a special family tradition heirloom. It was always really special to her Mom, and now it’s special to Lila as well. 

“That sounds like them,” Lila finally pins back her mom’s braids, grabbing a couple white flowers to pin in as well. Her mom grabs a necklace from the table beside her, and Lila doesn’t need to look to know that it’s the special one from Lila’s Dad, the one with a heart-shaped emerald pendant. Apparently it was the first real anniversary gift that her Dad gave her Mom; Lila always thought it was a little gaudy, but her Mom has always really loved it. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Do you ever think about how different your life could be?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, if I hadn’t been born, then you would’ve had a completely different life. Maybe you wouldn’t be living in Atlanta, or you wouldn’t even have gotten with Dad,” Lila suggests, staring at her Mom intently but she just shrugs dismissively. 

“Why bother? I guess I would’ve had a different life, but I don’t waste my time wondering about those things. What’s the point in thinking about the what ifs or the maybes? I like my life just the way it is, don’t you?”

“Yeah, of course I do.”

“You know what I do think about, is all the amazing things that  _ you _ have given me. I have three amazing kids, an extremely ho--”

“--Mom, I do not want to hear whatever is about to come out of your mouth.”

“--I was just going to say helpful, an extremely helpful husband, what on earth were you thinking of?” her Mom continues, but Lila can see that she’s smiling mischievously, “I’m not missing anything else from life, I have everything I need and more. Why do you ask, anyway?”

“I don’t know, the day just has me thinking about stuff. Like, everyone else is reminiscing, it’s you and Dad’s tenth wedding anniversary party and I’m seventeen, the same age you were when you found out you were pregnant with me.”

“That’s fair. But things weren’t always easy for me or your dad, it took time and work to get here, you know that. But I still knew he was the one first.”

Lila bursts out laughing, “This argument again, Mom?” 

“I couldn’t resist,” she grins, turning away from the mirror to face Lila. 

Lila adjusts one of the white flowers in her hair, moving it more to the side and smiles. “All good, I think you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Lila baby.”

Auntie Care bursts into the room, her light grey dress billowing from the breeze of the doors with a clipboard in hand, and Laurel on her other arm. Hope said that Laurel hasn’t been letting Auntie Care put her down lately, she’s had to be carried around everywhere. Auntie Care looks at Lila’s Mom, beaming excitedly and practically bounces toward them. “Oh my god, Bonnie, you look so beautiful! Oh, I knew the flowers were a good touch!” 

“Thanks, Care, you know I couldn't have done this without you. I’m so lucky to have Caroline Forbes, event planner extraordinaire on my team,” Lila’s Mom responds, squeezing Auntie Care’s hand happily and tickled Laurel’s chin, eliciting a few high-pitched squeals. 

“Yeah, yeah, love you too, save the sappiness for later, Bon. We gotta get you downstairs, everyone’s waiting! Lila, do you mind taking Laurel? Klaus should be downstairs, then you can pass her off to him,” Auntie Care asks, and Lila holds out her arms obligingly to grab Laurel. She takes Laurel into her arms, hearing a little murmur of protest from the toddler at being pulled away from her mother, but she lets Lila hold her anyway; Laurel’s bright blue eyes dart to Lila’s necklace, fingering it gently and Lila pushes back some of Laurel’s dirty blonde hair. 

Lila heads downstairs first, going a little slow since she’s wearing a dress and doesn’t want to accidentally trip, which would end up hurting both her and Laurel; she can hear her Mom and Auntie Care following, she knows they’re going slowly as well since they’re wearing dresses as well. Lila can see her brother and sister talking to their Dad and Klaus; Mattias is in a white button-shirt with black pants, and Nathalia is giggling at something their Dad said. Klaus notices them first, his eyes lighting up when he sees Laurel and walks to grab her from Lila. 

“Thank you, I hope this one didn’t give you too much trouble,” Klaus says, grabbing a happy Laurel and Lila smiles. 

“Of course not. See you in there,” Lila replies, waving at Laurel as her and Klaus head into the banquet hall. Lila turns to her family, noticing that her Dad is embracing her Mom, whispering something unintelligible in her ear; she smacks his shoulder lightly, but she’s grinning and he kisses her cheek. 

“Damon, if you keep nuzzling Bonnie like that, her makeup is going to get ruined and you guys are supposed to show up on time to your anniversary party!” Auntie Care exclaims with a huff, and Lila’s Dad reluctantly releases her Mom. “Are you guys ready to go in?”

Lila approaches her two younger siblings, grabbing their hands with a reassuring squeeze, “All good to go, Auntie Care.”

**MAY 2023**

“Hey, where did Mattias and your Dad go?” Lila looked up to see her Mom enter the room. 

“Dad took him to the bathroom, that’s all. I’m just feeding Natty now...how’s Uncle Matty and Aunt Sonya doing?” Lila asked, turning her attention back to Nathalia, who’s just picked up a cheerio from Lila’s hand. 

“They’re doing good! Guess what they told me?” 

“I don’t know, what? Are they gonna come visit, or move?” 

“Aunt Sonya’s having twins,” Lila’s Mom said, and Lila’s head whipped to meet her Mom’s eyes. Her first thought is yay, because she’d to have like more cousins but she’s learning sex ed right now in school, so it’s actually a little gross.

“Ooh, can we go visit when the babies are born? That would be so fun, and twins are so cool too!”

“Maybe we can visit if we go back to Mystic Falls for Thanksgiving this year. I think it might be our turn to go there anyway,” she replied, sitting down on the couch and Nathalia ate the last cheerio from Lila’s hand. Nathalia got down on the floor, crawling over to the other couch where their Mom was sitting and stood up again once she reached the couch. 

“Mama,” Nathalia cried, trying to get up on the couch and their Mom lifted her up, placing Nathalia on her lap. 

“Uh, also, do you think I could go somewhere after basketball practice on Saturday? If that’s okay?” Lila asked casually. 

“Sure, do you need me or Dad to drive you? Who are you going with?” 

“Ava’s going, I think her mom is going to drive us and Selena’s coming too...so is Noah, Matteo and Justin.”

“Oh, is this a group date or something?” Lila could see a little smile on her Mom’s face, with an annoying twinkle in her eye. Nathalia gurgled happily at that moment too, as if sensing that Lila was about to get teased. 

“No! Well maybe, but it’s complicated. Can I go, at least?”

“Where are you going?” Lila glanced up to see her Dad was back in the room with Mattias; Mattias automatically ran back to his toys, clearly giving no one else his attention, and Lila had a feeling this conversation was about to get worse.

“Lila wants to go out with her friends and some boys after basketball practice,” her Mom informed him, casually bouncing Nathalia on her knee.

“Hmm...is it a date?” he asked lightly, but Lila can tell he’s suspicious and slipping into what she likes to call detective mode. It can be kind of funny how sly her Dad tries to be, but it never really works half the time. 

“ _ Dad,  _ it’s just three boys from school and I’m going with Ava and Selena too. We’re just going to the movies, I’ll be home by 10:00, I swear. Ava’s mom is going to drive us after practice. There’s no reason to worry, or launch into any dramatics like spying on me or anything like that.”

“You should be careful at the movies, Lil. Bad things can happen.”

“Bad things, really?” Lila remarked skeptically, raising a brow, “Should I expect my popcorn to attack me, or will someone get set on fire if I hold a boy’s hand?”

“No, but--”

Her Mom finally huffed, about to put her foot down and spoke to her Dad, “Baby, Lila will be fine. Get your mind out of the gutter, not everyone is like teenager Damon, “her Mom turned to look at Lila properly, and Nathalia is gurgling happily again, “Lila, you can go, just make sure you have most of your schoolwork done, okay? Are you going to bring your basketball stuff with you?”

“Ava’s mom is gonna keep it for us, she can drive me back.”

“Great. Right, Damon?” her Mom tapped her Dad, fixing him with a steely gaze. 

“Yes, yes, you can go,” he admitted begrudgingly, and Lila smothered down a smug grin. “I just worry sometimes, that’s all. I trust you, Lil, it’s just boys that I don’t trust.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. I think one teen pregnancy is good enough for this family,” Lila remarked, eliciting a laugh from her Mom and even her Dad is smiling now. 

“What’s a teen pregnancy?” Mattias asked curiously, moving on from his toys and climbing onto Lila’s lap with wide green eyes and a book in hand.

Lila set him on her lap, taking the book from his hand and eyed her parents mischievously, “Ask Mom and Dad in a few years, and then they’ll tell you.”

**PRESENT DAY: 2027**

“Now, the next speech will definitely be from someone who is going to upstage me, my brother-in-law, Stefan Salvatore!” Lila’s Mom announces, handing the microphone over to Uncle Stefan and goes to sit back down at their table. 

“Thanks for that lovely introduction, Bonnie, but now the stakes are raised, if anything I could fail spectacularly now,” the room echoes with laughter, and Uncle Stefan smiles, “For those of you who don’t know me, I met Bonnie Bennett when I moved back to a small town called Mystic Falls, and she was the best friend of my future wife. Now, I don’t know the exact moment when Bonnie met my brother, but I distinctly remember that they did not like each other, Bonnie was not impressed at all by Damon and I thought ‘finally, someone with a sane thought.’”

Lila’s Mom grins, looking amused and her Dad rolls his eyes good-naturedly while Uncle Stefan continues, “It took awhile before they became friends, but that was a given since it’s Damon. As his brother, no one knows how annoying he is more than me.”

“Way to play me up, Stef!” Lila’s Dad called out, eliciting another round of laughter from the room and Uncle Stefan chuckled. 

“I’m getting to the good part, brother, I swear. So, once again, I thought ‘wow, I didn’t think it was possible for Damon to just be friends with a girl, especially one he’s never hit on before.’ Of course, that was all idiotic thinking because one morning in August, after a particularly wild party that I still can’t remember to this day, Damon walked into the kitchen. We started talking about the party, what our plans are for the day, and right before Damon leaves, he casually mentions that him and Bonnie are dating now. Shocked would be an understatement, all I could think was how did this happen, did Bonnie go crazy overnight and their relationship was so going to crash and burn. Well, I could not be more wrong about that. My brother has always had a habit of surprising me with...interesting news, but lately all his surprises have been good ever since Bonnie came back into his life. Brother, our home was never really filled with love or happiness, and yet that’s all I see in the home that you and Bonnie have created with your three wonderful children. I hope it stays that way forever for the two of you. Now please, if everyone could join me in a toast to the happy couple. Congratulations on ten years of marriage, brother. To Damon and Bonnie!”

“To Damon and Bonnie!” Lila echoes along with the rest of the room, taking a sip of her drink and she notices her siblings copy her as well. Music blares through the speakers, and Lila can hear her Dad urging her Mom to go dance; people are getting up from their tables, making their way over to the dance floor and Aunt Elena comes over with Henry in hand. 

“Hey, you guys! Are you guys having a good time?” Aunt Elena asks warmly, giving Lila and her siblings a kiss on the head. 

“Yeah, this food is really good,” Mattias chimes in happily, scraping up the last of the food on his plate. 

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Mattias,” Aunt Elena laughs. 

“Where’s Ollie and Uncle Stefan?” Lila asks curiously. 

“Uncle Stefan took him to the washroom, afterwards they’re going on the dancefloor. I was wondering if Natty wanted to come dance with me and Henry,” Aunt Elena suggests, and Nathalia perks up as Henry nods his head enthusiastically. “You know, the song playing right now is very special to your mom and dad. Your mom told me that her and your dad first kissed when this song was playing.”

“That sounds fun, Natty. You go with Aunt Elena, me and Mattias are coming too,” Lila answers, setting Nathalia down on the floor; she watches the three of them head to the dance floor, before getting up and turning to her brother. 

“Come on, Mattias. Let’s see you dance,” Lila smiles, her brother hopping up from his seat energetically and Lila grabs his hand, leading them to the dance floor. 

Lila chooses to copy Mattias’s dance moves, it’s funnier that way since he’s only eight and hasn’t suffered the painful awareness of feeling embarrassed yet. She spots Aunt Sarah in a burgundy cocktail dress, and waves happily. 

“Hey! Where’s Uncle Zach?” Lila asks her Aunt Sarah, and Mattias waves enthusiastically at their aunt too. 

“Getting a drink from the bar, of course. You go, Mattias!” Aunt Sarah replies, laughing a little at Mattias’s moves. “You guys owe me a dance later.”

Lila nods happily, choosing to twirl Mattias around as a joke; he laughs delightedly as he spins around, stumbling a little. Lila scans the surrounding crowd of people dancing, noticing that Uncle Matt is also twirling around Erica and Gwen, their identical faces cracked up in smiles; Aunt Sonya must be sitting down somewhere, Lila caught a glimpse of her and her protruding baby bump earlier. Uncle Stefan is bouncing Oliver around a little, talking to Aunt Caroline who also has Laurel on her hip; Hope is dancing with her dad, her blue eyes sparkling happily. Lila thinks she can see her Grandpa’s tall head weaving its way through the crowd, and she can see her parents dancing happily as well. For a minute, Lila wishes she could stay frozen in this moment forever, that she can stay forever in this feeling of happiness.

**NOVEMBER 2025**

“Are you sure you can’t come to McDonald’s?” Nia pouted, giving Lila a beseeching look. “I’ll even pay to get a McFlurry for you, or just come for a little bit, Lil!”

“Nia, I have to get ready for my lab tomorrow. I’ve already come to this game because of cheer, but I don’t think my dad would like it if I blew off studying,” Lila explained gently, and Nia sighed. 

“Okay, yeah...also, your dad’s here? Is he picking you up?” Nia asked slyly, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively and Lila groaned. 

“Omigod, don’t. Go to McDonald’s, I don’t need my dad questioning what kind of a best friend I have,” she lamented, and Nia scoffed. 

According to almost all of Lila’s friends, her dad was attractive, which was also not helpful considering how young he is. Her friends liked to tease her about it, make inside jokes in front of him, which led to her dad being bewildered and questioning Lila once her friends would leave. She knows they’re just messing around, but Lila is usually internally cringing whenever her friends are around her dad, and there’s no way in hell she’s going to explain why they always act so weird around him.

“Fine, fine, I’m going now. See you tomorrow...when do we have cheer practice again? I know it’s usually two days after the game, but I thought Coach Hoang said something different…?”

“Today’s Thursday, so I think it’s on Monday then.”

“Okay, yeah, that sounds right. See you tomorrow!”

“Bye, Nia!” Lila waved, walking away and weaving her way through crowds of people, everyone was still buzzing about the football game; Lila waved at a few of her cheer teammates and some other people, but didn’t bother to stop to talk. She finally spotted her Dad waiting at the top of the last bleachers, peering down at the crowd of people; she waved at him, his face lighting up and he walked down to join her. 

“Lila, you did great! I barely even noticed the game, I was too focused on watching you cheering,” he exclaimed, grabbing her duffle bag and slung it on his shoulder. “I took a couple videos too, that way we can watch it at home.”

“Dad, you don’t have to film me every time,” Lila reminded him gently, but it’s secretly nice that he still cares enough to do that every single game.

“Oh come on, I got a great video of you doing an aerial, and your back handspring is getting better.”

Lila smiled, “You really think so? I think my landing is improving too, but sometimes I get too deep in my head…”

She trailed off, noticing that Lucas was waiting by a lamppost in the parking lot, clearly having spotted her and motioned to go over to her; Lila quickly grabbed her Dad’s jacket, tugging him in the opposite direction of where Lucas was standing. 

“Hey, why are we going this way? The car’s in the opposite direction,” her Dad asked curiously. 

“I just wanted to take the longer way,” Lila replied sharply, tossing a glance back to see if Lucas followed her but he’s nowhere in sight. She’s not sure if it’s disappointment or relief bubbling in her stomach. 

Her Dad was quiet for a moment, clearly contemplating something before asking tentatively, “Was that boy waiting for you? The one with the dark hair, in the black jacket with the red Jordans?”

“Yeah, he was, but I don’t want to talk to him. He’s not my boyfriend or anything, it’s complicated but I’m mad at him right now and I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Okay, that’s fine. I hope you guys work out whatever the problem is.”

“Hopefully. Like I said, it’s complicated, not all of us can be like you and Mom,” Lila remarked, half-joking but there’s a truth in there as well. Her parents have always worked so well together, like they were made to be together; it’s the same story with her Uncle Stefan and Aunt Elena, it’s like something out of a movie or TV show. Lila’s not so sure how anyone can manage to have a love story as beautiful as the ones her family has. 

“Do you remember how me and your Mom told you that we were separated for a couple years, when you were born?”

“Yeah, because of your dad,” Lila replied plainly. She’s never met her other grandfather, from what she’s heard he wasn’t really a nice guy or a good father; apparently he lives in Chicago now, but her Dad and Uncle Stefan don’t speak to him anymore. 

“That wasn’t the only reason why...your Mom thought I had feelings for someone else. Well, she thought I was using her as a distraction. That’s why she sent me a letter, instead of telling me in person that she was pregnant.”

Lila’s jaw dropped, sputtering a little, “What?! I mean, I always thought a letter was a bit dramatic, but I figured it was because Mom saw it in a movie or something. Dad, who was it?! Were you actually in love with this person?!”

“Basically, your mom thought she heard me admitting my feelings for someone else. I did  _ not _ have feelings for this person, definitely only in love with your Mom. Also...you know this person. It was Aunt Elena.”

“Holy shit,” her Dad gave her a pointed look, “Sorry, I’m just really surprised. Aunt Elena? But her and Uncle Stefan are like...perfect for each other. That’s so crazy...she didn’t like you back, right?”

Lila didn’t think it sounded like Aunt Elena to play two guys, it would definitely be a dick move if she had. Thankfully, her Dad laughed and shook his head, “No, no, it was always Uncle Stefan for her.”

“Why didn’t you guys tell me this before?” Lila asked pensively, weaving her way past cars as her Dad followed behind her. 

“Neither of us like to talk about it, much less think about it. It was a misunderstanding, I forgave your Mom a long time ago and I know she’s still ashamed of it to this day. It happened a very long time ago, me and your Aunt Elena like to joke about it...when your Mom’s not around, of course.”

“How did you forgive Mom? What changed your mind, why weren’t you mad?”

“Well, part of it was you, I didn’t want you to be affected if I hadn’t forgiven her. I didn’t want to be mad, I wanted to move on from the past since I only found out three years later. When she finally came back and I met you, that was my second chance. I didn’t want to blow it, not by getting angry over a misunderstanding. The relationship I wanted with your Mom meant more to me than a stupid miscommunication. People make mistakes, and that’s natural, once it’s done then you can’t go back, can’t undo it. The only thing you can do is control your reaction, the choices you make are what determines if forgiveness really is possible. In this case, the good outweighed the bad.” 

“I don’t know if you meant to cheer me up, but now I really don’t know if I’m going to have an epic love like you and Mom...maybe it’s not in the cards for me,” Lila admitted, trying not to sound too despondent and reached their car, opening the door and sliding into the passenger’s seat. 

Her Dad got into the car, turning on the ignition and turned his head to look at Lila seriously, “Now, I don’t think that’s true at all. All you’ve ever given everyone around you is love.” 

**PRESENT DAY: 2027**

Lila’s sitting on a couch in the banquet lobby, back in a sweater and shorts instead of a dress; Nathalia’s sitting on her lap, her head against Lila’s chest as she sleeps soundly. Mattias is tucked right beside her, leaning against her arm and he seems to be asleep as well. Lila’s a little tired, but she’s used to staying up unlike her siblings; her parents are still wrapping up the banquet hall, talking to the venue staff about any last-minute payments and everyone else has gone back to their hotels. 

Lila takes a bite of a fudge brownie, courtesy of her Uncle Tyler and his long-time girlfriend, Piper since she didn’t see them last christmas; she had been bombarded earlier by them with a bucketload of sweets, and of course it was all chocolate-flavoured. Her parents finally reappear from the banquet hall, talking to one of the staff members; they seem to exchange goodbyes, and her parents finally make their way over to her and her siblings. 

“Hey, I can take Natty,” her Mom greets her softly, picking up Nathalia carefully. She’s no longer in her white beaded dress, she’s changed into a green sundress but there are still white flowers in her Mom’s hair. “Did you have a good time? I see that Tyler and Piper gave you their christmas gift.”

“Should I expect to find half of the food gone in there?” her Dad asks, giving Lila a look as he picks up Mattias as well. 

“I had a good time, it was nice to see Hope and everyone else again. Definitely super fun, I think I took a million photos. And okay, maybe I dug into a couple brownies, but it’s  _ fudge brownies _ . Can you blame me?” Lila counters defensively, getting up from the couch and her parents exchange amused looks.

“Sometimes you remind me so much of when you were little,” her Mom says, clearly reminiscing and Lila’s Dad groans. 

“Bon, don’t go bringing that up. It makes me feel like an old man,” he laments dramatically with a smile, and Lila laughs a little, grabbing the door and holding it open for her parents to step outside into the muggy, hot air of the Atlanta summer. 

“Did you guys have a good time? Does it feel like it’s been ten years already?” Lila asks, half-teasing as they walk over to the car.

“Sometimes it feels like it’s been twenty years, and other times it only feels like a few months,” her Mom admits easily, her eyes shining happily even in the dark. 

“Agreed, so far it’s been the best ten years of my life,” her Dad adds, pressing a quick kiss to her Mom’s cheek with a smirk. 

They finally reach the car, and Lila slides into her usual middle seat, and her parents place Mattias and Nathalia carefully in their seats before buckling them up. Mattias’s head automatically drops to rest on her shoulder, and Lila can hear Nathalia’s tiny breaths from beside her; her parents get into the car, her Dad starting the ignition and they pull out of the venue parking lot, driving away. 

Lila can see her Mom’s hand caressing the back of Lila’s Dad’s head, fingering the strands of hair gently; Lila looks up at the sunroof, watching the pine trees rush by and can’t help but feel so peaceful, so content. She knows that she still has a lifetime ahead of her, she’s hopeful yet nervous about the future. Soon she’ll be gone at college, watching her brother and sister grow up from a distance but Lila knows it’ll be okay. For now, she’s just happy to be encapsulated in the warmth and love of her family, and to finally go back home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially done! Thank you all for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to comment, let me know your thoughts or feel free to ask questions about the epilogue. I wish all of you a Happy New Year, I hope 2021 will show all of us more kindness. Please stay safe, and thank you again for reading! Hopefully this is a see you around, rather than a goodbye.


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